Storm Hawks, Defenders of the Far Side
by Shadow-StrikeRaven
Summary: The Storm Hawks followed Cyclonis to the Far Side, but just what were they letting themselves in for? With New Friends, Surprising New Allies and Old Foes, will the Storm Hawks manage to finally defeat Cyclonis? And if they do, will they ever make it back home? I guess you just need to read and find out... AerrowxPiper, FinnxOC, StorkxCondora (The Condor's new AI)
1. Chapter 1

"OW!"  
Or at least that's what Aerrow presumed Radarr had been trying to get out, seeing as Junko had fallen on him. They had been falling over each other around the cockpit for the last couple of minutes, as Stork swung the Condor up, down, left and right, spinning it and looping it in an attempt to dodge the giant vultures that were intent on breaching the cockpit.  
The red glow in their eyes showed that they were yet another group that had been unfortunate to be captured and subjugated by Master Cyclonis, who had been tracking down the most dangerous creatures she could find in the three months since she had escaped to the far side. How she had managed it with these creatures was any-ones guess, seeing as they were one of the most vicious creatures in the far side, and were also strong, fast and utterly merciless when it came to their victims, hence the current situation.  
Aerrow hit the railing in the center of the room, and groaned, realizing that he had finally had enough.  
"Finn... Junko... Get to the cannons and get blasting."  
He spotted them crawling to opposite sides of the ship and started to crawl towards the hallway, and the hangar bay. Radarr crawled up and grabbed his back, clinging around his shoulders. He just made it through the door, when the ship lurched again and he rolled into a plant pot, narrowly avoiding a face full of feathers as a chicken fell past him.  
They seemed to follow him everywhere...  
He grimaced as he rubbed his neck, holding on to avoid being thrown again as the Condor righted itself, and sighed.  
What a way to spend his birthday...  
_

**Just a taster, but reviews are still much appreciated!**

**Raven xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Piper's Log**

**It has been two months since we passed through the doorway to the far side, and still, we are encountering more different creatures everyday than we could ever have imagined. We have also added to our basic idea of how this place works. It has a similar structure to Atmos, with a similar amount of Terras, but they dont have Sky Knights or anything like that. I think that may be because their technology is s advanced, and the crystals... Wow. The crystals we have come across, just lying around in mines and tunnels on different terras are so much more powerful than our own... we managed to find a tunnel that was full of crystals that look like they have enough power to run the Condor for longer than all of our energy crystals put together. I am still exprimenting and, I heve to say, I'm enjoying every minute of it. Finn and Junko seem more excited about all of the different weapons we have been given. The people on the first Terra we landed on, Terra Safex, were stangely excited to see us, that is until we found out that they had legends about us. Turns out, their ave been legends about A group of Six that wold fall from the skies from a blast of light, to conquer the darkness from another world. Well, seeing as we crash landed, and Cyclonis is here, looks like they have legends that are as accurate as Terra Vapos' ones about Finn. They offered us everything from Food to Gold, which Aerrow refused, much to Finns disappointment. He said that if they cold fix the Condor, then we would be fine, though we would need food stores. He had barely said the words when they dragged us inside and gave us so much that not even Junko could have finished it. Then we heard about Cyclonis. It turns out that she has begun a campaign of terror to take over the far side. In the two weeks since then, Stork has used spare parts and different crystals to turn the Cyclonian skimmers into rides that are pretty much identical to our old ones, though I have a skimmer now, not a heliscooter. I have to say, Aerrow was so happy, he went on a test drive that lasted for about three hours. Since then, we have been doing recon, trying to find out about Cyclonis and none of it is good. Of the Terras we could reach on the skimmers, we found out that she had taken an entire quadrant in just six weeks. We have so far managed to keep the Condors location a secret, but now that is been fixed up and we are flying again, it cant stay that way for long. Still, we need to get moving if we are to do anything about Cyclonis.**

Piper read through her log entry, and had just satisfied herself that it covered everything of importance, when the Condor shuddered and she felt the reassuring hum of the engines. The Storm Hawks were back in business. She made her way to the cockpit, to find the rest of them stood around the centre table, looking at a map of the quadrant they were in that had been given to them by the inhabitants of Terra Safex. She walked over, and grinned at the intense concentration on the guys expressions, that is, all of them but Stork, who was flying the ship, and Finn who was too busy hugging his crossbow, which now had so many additions to it that she was surprised it actually worked. She sighed, if he ever actually managed to get any work done... She shoved him out of the way and leant in.  
"What ya doing?" she asked, surprised when Junko replied instead of Aerrow.  
"Trying to figure out where we should go. Aerrow said it would be a good idea to get to know the Terras..." He was interrupted by Aerrow jabbing a finger onto a cluster of Terras.  
"Here," he announced, "Not only are they well populated, but they have been having problems with some kind of monster worm, a Mongolian Death Worm or something, from the Terra Mongul." Piper glanced over,  
"Yeah," she added, "apparently its one of the most dangerous creatures in the quadrant." Finn peered over her shoulder.  
"Oh yeah. Catch some worm and save the day? Awesome!" Piper shook her head, exhasprated,  
"It can reach up to 10 times the length of your body, has poisonous skin, deadly venom and the ability to zap you with a burst of energy that would stop your heart within seconds of being in contact with it." She watched, amused by Finns expression.  
"Uhh," he stammered, "So, um. I hear Terra Luminous is fun this time of year... And they have a rollercoaster... and a petting zoo with cute little worms... that arent very deadly..."

Piper saw Aerrow grin.  
"We're going after the worm Finn. Just think, you could be a hero... just like on Terra Vapos, you know, with all the pretty... " he didnt have to say anymore, Finn picked up his crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder.  
"Well what are we waiting for? We are robbing the delightful ladies of my heroic..." he stopped as Piper sniggered.  
"Oh, nothing Finn," she said in reply to his glare, "I'm sure they've been waiting for this moment for years..." She shook her head as he grinned again and turned to Aerrow.  
"So, when do we leave." Aerrow turned to face her, a grin on his face,  
"Well, we dont want to rob people of the chance to see the amazing..." he looked at Finn who was doing some wierd kind of dance, "Never mind," he continued, "Stork set a course. Time to get back to work." He turned to Finn and Junko,  
"Anyone up for a game of Catch the Sky Knight?" he asked, and was answered by whoops and a rush to the hangar bay. "Piper?" he asked, heading for the door and turning back to loom at her.  
"Sure," she grinned, before heading to the hangar bay, "meet you outside." Aerrow turned to Radarr, who was lounging at the table,

"Radarr? Stork?"Radarr ran over to Aerrow, who knelt down to let him climb onto his shoulder. Stork turned to look at them,  
"Oh yeah, something that won't result in ultimate doom is sounding really good right now." Aerrow grinned and, with Radarr on his shoulder, ran towards the hangar bay. He couldnt wait to really test out that skimmer...


	3. Chapter 3

Aerrow grinned at Radarr.  
"Looks like we lost 'em buddy," he informed him, before heading for the cloud cover. They has been playing catch the skynight for nearly two hours, and although they were getting better, they hadn't caught him yet. Aerrow watched as Radarrs face turn from green to its usual blue. "Sorry Radarr," he said, in response to the groan and glare he recieved, "Too many spins and loops for ya'?" Radarr nodded and slumped down onto the side of the skimmer. Aerrow grinned and turned back to face straight ahead, only to see Piper, bearing down on him from the front, Junko from beneath him and Finn from above him. He went to fly to the sides but stopped as he saw a slight ripple in the air, just before the condors two bulkheads shimmered into view.  
"Oh yeah," he heard Stork say, through the microphones, "Crystal camouflage technology. Part of a major Condor upgrade. I've been waiting to use this for ages." Between admiring his teams plan, and the new technology on the Condor, Aerrow scanned his surroundings. He wouldnt be able to get past them. They had covered every angle... unless... It was worth a shot, they had decided on a two hour limit for them to catch him anyway, and he only had eighteen minutes to go. Not for the first time, he felt relief that Junko had modified the skimmers to be able to transform in midair, just like their own ones. He turned to look at Radarr, and was pleased to see that he had followed his train of thought, glancing between him and the ship and shaking his head. Aerrow grinned at him, and was glad to see him stretch out a hand to cover the lever, even if his ears were covering his eyes.  
"Face it, Skyknight," he head Piper say, "You've been caught..." He turned to grin at her.  
"Remember what happened last time you said that, Piper? I got away..." He flew the skimmer down and called to Radarr, who pulled the lever. The wings closed in and he landed on the Condor with a jolt, he skidded slightly on the polished metal, but managed to keep his balance as he rode along one of the forward bulkheads, jolting over the rough exterior and flying off of the end, calling to Radarr again. The lever went up, the wings unfolded and he flew past Piper, narrowly missing the beam of energy she shot at him. He applied the crystal fuel afterburner, pleased that he actually had one that didn't blow up, and the short burst of energy got him away from the Condor.  
"Nice try guys," he called back, and flew straight into a heavy cloud, out of sight. He turned to Radarr, pleased to see a bemused expression on his face, and put his hand up for a high five. Radarr slapped his hand and they sat in the same place, hardly moving to see whther the others would try to chase them.

Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, Aerrow spotted the tell tale ripple of the Condor, that he had noticed before, to his left, and heard the faint thrum of the skimmers to his right. The thick fog mad it hard to see, so he strained to hear the movements of his team members, noticing that they wre gradually getting closer. Suddenly he heard Finn shout,  
"Now!" and they all dived towards him. He grinned, he had been anticipating this. He slammed the skimmer backwards, and watched as Finn had to swerve to avoid hitting Junko and Piper, as they had all been aiming for him. He cringed as Junko hit the windshield of the skimmer, braking to avoid hitting Piper' skimmer and as Piper pulled back to avoid clipping Finns ride on the wings. As it was, Junko's did just that, and Finn went spiralling out of the way. He saw the Condor shimmer into view and heard Storks voice.  
"And... time's up." Aerrow started laughing at the disgruntled looks on his teams faces and flew over to the Condor, landing on the runway platform and stopping in the skimmer bay. He jumped off, with Radar clinging to his shoulder, just s the rest of them pulled in, Finn a few seconds behind the others. They jumped off, and Aerrow strolled over to them.  
"Hows your head Junko?" he asked innocently,  
"I'm good," Junko replied, "I stopped seeing tiny stars fluttering around my head just before I came in." Piper laughed.  
"Ah well," she shrugged, "There is always next time. Come on Finn," she added, calling to him as he slumped over the seat of his skimmer, "I'm sure it's not that bad."  
"Yeah it is," he moaned, "I just cleaned it." He turned to look at the side, "And the paint's chipped off. You can see the red underneath. I dont want everyone to know we're riding Talon Switchblades." Piper shook her head, shrugging her shoulders at Aerrow, before starting to walk of, "I have to go have a look at the camouflage crystals. Hopefully I can make them work for the skimmers." Aerrow smiled.  
"Great Idea, that way, Finn wont have to worry about the people here recognising an entire bike that they would never have seen before from a smidge of red." He turned to speak to Finn. "Think about it. As far as they know, when we speak about Talons, we're speaking about birds." Finns reply was interrupted and Aerrow looked up as Storks voice echoed around the room from the speakers.  
"And speaking of birds..." he exclaimed, "You may want to come take a look at this... Like now?"

Aerrow turned to look at the others and started to run towards the corridor. It only took him a minute to reach the Bridge, where he immediately ran over to the console, Radarr, Junko and Finn close behind.  
"What is it Stork?" he asked, urgently.  
"Big Birds." he said, pointing a shaky finger. Aerrow turned to look and gasped. They were surrounded by a flock of what looked like huge eagles. He turnd back to Stork.  
"How far are we from the nearest Terra?" he asked.  
"The nearest Terra is the one we were heading for..." he paused as he dodged one of he enormous birds, "but its at least twenty minutes away..." Aerrow turned to Finn, but saw him looking through one of the periscopes.  
"We've got a bigger problem..." he exclaimed, "they have that wierd look in their eyes..." He looked over to them, "They are under Cyclonis' control..." They didnt have a chance to say anything else, as the Condor lurched to the left.  
"Sorry!" Stork called, "but this is going to be a bumpy ride. If someone could please get to the blasters? Or we're all doomed." He yanked the steering handles to the right, and the Condor lurched again, sending the Aerrow and Junko flying.  
"Finn... Junko..." he managed to call, "Get to the cannons and get blasting." He spotted them crawling to opposite sides of the ship and started to make his way towards the hallway, and the hangar bay. Radarr clambered over and grabbed his back, clinging around his shoulders. He just made it through the door, when the ship lurched again and he rolled into a plantpot, narrowly avoiding a face full of feathers as a chicken fell past him. They seemed to follow him eveywhere... He grimaced as he rubbed his neck, holding on to avoid being thrown again as the Condor righted itself. He sighed. What a way to spend his birthday... Not that the others knew of course. He sighed. He had no idea why he didnt tell them, he just decided that it woud be best to focus on the job at hand. He rounded the coner just as the Condor rotated again, and he found himself flattened by Piper. The Condor steadied and she groaned. Aerrow shook her arm, concerned,  
"Piper?" he asked, "You okay?"

She turned her head to look at him.  
"Yeah, I think." she replied.  
"Good," Aerrow patted her arm. "Now would you mind letting me up?" He grinned at the dark flush that coloured her face, as she clambered to her feet. He stood up, and held onto a nearby pipe as th Condor rolled in a full circle,, grabbing hold of Pipers arm as she began to tumble. They both collapsed to the floor, but immediately jumped up.  
"I have to get to the hangar bay," Aerrow called to her, over the sound of the rolling crates and the squawking of the chickens,  
"Can you get to the bridge? See if you can help..."  
"Sure," she replied, "I heard Finn over the comlink. They are controlled by Cyclonis?" He nodded and she continued,  
"Well, I think I can get rid of the hynotic influence, I have a few crystals, but I need them to be close enough."  
"No problem," Aerrow grinned at her, "I'll distract them and get them to fly past the windows on the bridge. That close enough?" At her nod, he turned and ran towards the skimmer bay, clutching at pipes and riveting on the walls to avoid being thrown around and once relying on Radarr- who was still clinging to his back- to stop him falling as the ship lurched several more times. He made it to his skimmer and disentangled it from the others, jumping on and starting it up. Radarr flipped the lever as they made it outside and they flew into the air, straight into a frenzy of flapping and feathers. Aerrow tried to turn as a bird flew towards him and just managed to get out of the way. His relief was short lived, however, as a blast came from the ships cannons, hitting one of the birds, which immediately started to spiral towards Aerrow. Unable to get a sense of direction, it fell directly into his path, and his skimmer lurched as it collided with the bird. Aerrow was unable to hold on and was flung from his skimmer. Air whistled past his face as he fell, with increasing speed, towards the hard metal roof of the bridge. It was too close for Radarr to fly the Skimmer and he wasnt wearing his battle glider, there was no way he could avoid colliding with the deck. He sped towards the metal, closing his eyes and tensing, preparing for the impact...


	4. Chapter 4

Aerrow flinched, but the expected collision didnt occur. He opened his eyes, to see that he was coated in a blue light. He spun to look through the windows, a relieved grin on his face, and, sure enough, Piper was stood there holding a crystal in her hand, a burst of blue energy connecting them. He spotted Radarr, hovering just over the balcony and floated over to him, settling onto the seat. He felt the floating feeling leave him, and he held out a hand towards Piper, waving slightly. He saw her grin at him, and turned to look at the birds. They were still attacking the Condor, and barely paying attention to him. He needed to get them to follow him. He suddenly had an idea and turned to Radarr. "Radarr, Switch." In less than two seconds, Radarr was in his seat and he was balanced on the wings. He pulled out his twin lightning blades and held them out in front of him, aiming at one of the birds. He shot a burst of energy at one of the birds, and smiled as it broke away from the flock. He shot out seven more shots, but eventually, he had the entire flocks attention. He motioned for them to switch again and jumped into his seat. He checked that he still had the birds attention and flew around the condor, in a large circle. He came up underneath the Condor, between the twin bulkheads, where he had been trapped earlier, and edged towards the Condor, hoping that they were close enough for Piper. Apparently they were, because a burst of red shot past him, and covered one of the birds. Several more followed and he saw their eyes turn from red to an amber gold. His relief was short lived, however, as he realised that they were now wild, and subject to their instincts. The point was exaggerated as they all turned to look at him.  
"Aerrow..." he heard a voice from the Condor, over the megaphone. "Aerrow, get out of the way..." He immediately turned and flew into the skimmer bay, because when Piper says move, you move. He saw a flash behind him and turned to see the birds crashing into each other, trying to turn and fly away. He grinned.  
"Cooking crystals Piper?" he asked, over the intercom, and was met with a small laugh. He let Radarr jump onto his shoulder and jogged back to the bridge.

Ten minutes later, and they were preparing to land on the terra. Aerrow sighed at the red 'X' on the date on his alarm. He couldnt wait for his birthday to be over. He hadnt celebrated since his father had died. He refused to celebrate a day so close to when it happened. He checked he had everything and left his room, heading for the bridge. He didnt notice Piper walk along the corridor, or walk into his room to try and find him, or her backing out when she realised he wasnt there. He also didnt notice her catching sight of the notice on the alarm, or the shocked expression that crossed her face, before she left and head to the dark room, to stock up on crystals.

They were all stood around Pipers map, which was laid out on the centre table.  
"So you see," she concluded, "these seven Terras are actually part of one Large Terra. They are all connected by extensive tunnels and caverns. That's how the worm gets from one to another." She looked up to see Aerrow looking thoughtful, Junko looking interested, Finn looking clueless and Radarr asleep on the floor. She sighed.  
"Hopefully," she continued, "we can get a more detailed map of the tunnels." She saw Aerrow point to a spot on the map.  
"Piper," he asked, "that point there seems to be where all of the tunnels are connected... kind of like a central point." She nodded and Junko leaned over.  
"So, wouldn't that be the most likely place to find the worm?" he asked, "I mean, it could get from there to any terra." Aerrow nodded.  
"Well, it looks like a good starting point for the search anyway. What do you think Finn?.. Finn?"

Finn was sat messing around with a golden coloured cube that looked suspisciously like... Stork crept up behind him and plucked it from his hands.  
"But I melted this... How can it be..." He turnd and glared at Finn. "You bought a new one?" Finn glared back,  
"You melted my old one?" He tried to snatch it back and him and Stork began a game of 'lets chase Stork around the bridge.' Aerrow sighed. Turnng to Piper and Junko, he said,  
"Someone tell me that there is a way of getting that puzzle cube away from him?" They both glanced at each other then looked back at him. "Nope." He sighed.  
"Great..." Then a thought struck him, "Wait, who's flying the Condor?" They all turned to look at the steering column, and were confused to see that no-one was there, yet the Condor still seemed to be flying... Aerrow turned to Stork, who Finn had backed into a corner in an attempt to leap and reach the puzzle.  
"Hey Stork, whats with the Auto-pilot?" Stork moved the cube out of Finns reach and shouted over.  
"Yet another part of the Condor's upgrade. Isnt it awesome? Now I can spend more time reading my new book. '1001 terrible beasts and the pointless efforts put into fighting them'." Aerrow raised an eyebrow,  
"Uhuh... Well, we're coming up on Terra Districtus, so if you wouldnt mind...?" Stork threw the cube towards Junko, who took over the challenge of keeping it away from Finn.  
"Okay, lets go battle a deadly worm. Oh doom, how I have missed you..."

The Condor landed just outside the large town on the main Terra. Terra Districtus was the name of the overall Terra, but the smaller District Terras had their own names. Right now, they were on Terra Centras. Stork had decided to accompany them to the town, and was very eager to try some of the new gadgets on his Storkmobile. He drove down the ramp from the Condor, and slowed to a standstill. Everyone grinned. It didnt look any different, but, with Stork, that didnt mean anything.  
"Introducing the Storkmobile Upgraded. Along with the usual weapons, indestructability and detectors, I have added..." he didnt get a chance to continue.  
"Thats great Stork," Piper interrupted, "but we really need to get going. Why dont you just show us... later?" Stork sighed.  
"Fine. Lets Ride." He set off, and the rest of them shared bemused looks and followed. It only took them a few minutes to arrive at the main hall. Only they didn't get right to it, having to freeze and hide at the sight of Cyclonis, surrounded by men in outfits that were identical to those of the Talons in Atmos. She was creating another army.

"You know your orders," they heard her say. "If they won't sign up, lock them up. I will... convince them at a later date." She turned to a masked and cloaked figure at her side. "Come along. I trust that these new recruits will be able to keep things under control..." The threat was evident in her voice, and she turned and walked over to a skimmer, that was obviously newly built, maybe even by Cyclonis herself. Her companion copied her and they both took off, flying up to a large cruiser. Not long afterwards, the ship flew off, and was soon out of sight. Aerrow turned to the rest of them.  
"We've got a problem." he said simply, turning to look at the armed men gathering the Terras inhabitants into the centre of the town. He turned at a touch on his shoulder. It was Piper.  
"We need a plan Aerrow..." she whispered and he nodded in reply. They took it in turns to crawl backwards, out of sight of the Talons, and were soon all at the outskirts of the town. Aerrow turned to Stork.  
"Did you use the camouflage technology to hide the Condor?" he asked, and when he recieved a nod, he tuned to all of them. "Right then. Lets get to work..."


	5. Chapter 5

Aerrow crept around the building and leapt over to where the Talons rides were. Looking closer, he could see that they were proper Talon Switchblades... probably rides that Cyclonis had left in her previous visits to the far side. He ducked down as two of them walked past, herding a group of about ten people in front of them. He clenched his fist as one of the Talons prodded a young girl, no older than himself, with the point of a crystal powered spear. He gasped as the young girl turned and grabbed the spear from his hands, just as a flare went up from the other side of the square. Pipers signal. He grinned, they were all in position. He leapt out at the Talon who was about to jab the girl with his soear and kicked it out of his hands, his other foot swinging around and hitting him in the face, sending him flying. He droped to the floor and kicked out, sending the other one tumbling and got to his feet, turning to the girl, onl to pull out his blades as a spear point jabbed towards his face. He swung to his left, making the person drop the spear, and saw that it was the girl. She looked up at him, a mixture of fear and defiance in her eyes. He placed his twin blades back onto his back and held out a hand to her.  
"The names Aerrow," he grinned, as she accepted his hand up.  
"Just give me a few seconds, and you can tell me yours." He turned towards the centre of the town square, and saw the rest of his team fighting the Talons. He nodded to the group,  
"If I were you," he warned, "I would go inside." He turned and ran to join the fight.  
In less than three minutes, they had knocked all of the Talons unconscious and had begun to tie them up. They were soon surrounded by the inhabitants of the town. Small gasps came from them as they saw the Storm Hawks symbol on their armour. Aerrow finshed tying the knots and stood to face them.  
"The Storm Hawks," he announced, "At your service." The rest of the group joined him, just as the girl made her way out of the crowd. She stopped in front of Aerrow, looking sheepish.  
"Sorry about attacking you..." she murmured. Finn stepped forward,  
"Dont worry about it. He can be so irritating, sometimes I want to. The names Finn." He winked at her, and slung his crossbow over his shoulder and pointed his other hand towards her miming a pistol. "Chika-cha" The girl giggled.  
"I'm Crista Melscoyn. But everyone calls me Crista." Finn raised an eyebrow.  
"How about I call you Crissy?" he bactracked at the expression on her face. "Or Crista... Crista's good... Crista's..." Piper interrupted him,  
"Shut up Finn." Aerrow sighed,  
"Moving on, we were told to ask for a 'Captain Evans?'" A woman stepped forward.  
"Welcome Storm Hawks. You are a happy sight in these troubled times, though we expected you to be a bit... older." Junko raised an eyebrow. "Well, we could come back in a few years..." he joked. Captain Evans immediately shook her head.  
"Oh, no no, it's fine. Its not like all of you are children..." At the last sentence, she glanced over to Stork.  
"Hes obviously over sixteen." she finished. Aerrow was confused. "Sixteen?" he asked. "Yes," the captain replied, "we consider ourselves of age on the day we turn sixteen."

"Well," Aerrow commented, "I can assure you that I am not a child by your standards." He closed his mouth, wishing he could take back his words.  
"Woah, Aerrow," he heard Junko ask, "When was your birthday?" Aerrow remembered that, to Wallops, birthdays were valued celebrations,  
"It doesnt matter Junko..." Piper interrupted him.  
"Its today." She told them, before turning sheepishly to Aerrow. "I saw your clock... Sorry." Aerrow sighed,  
"We'll discuss this later," he said to his team, before turning to the captain, who was looking at them, bemused.  
"So..." he said, clearing his head, "We were originally here because of a giant worm..." Piper interrupted him.  
"Yeah, but no-one told us that thee would be a group of small irritating ones too..." she gestured to the Talons. Aerrow grinned,  
"Meh, I like rgular practice." Finn nodded his head,  
"Oh yeah," he agreed, winking at Crista, "I work out all the time... You know, so I can help these guys out... which I always seem to do..." Junko scratched his head, "But Finn, aren't you always the on who has to be rescued and caught from midair..." Finn slapped a hand over his mouth. "My buddy," he said, "Always the Joker..." Piper slapped him around the head,  
"This is serious Finn." She exclaimed, exhasperated. Aerrow couldnt hide the smile that crept across his face. Those guys... He turned back to the captain,  
"Do you have somewhere... quiet we could talk?" She nodded,  
"This way," she set off across the square, Aerrow beckoned to his team to follow, and Finn disentangled himself from the headlock Radarr had him in. Grinning sheepishly at Crista, he turned and legged it over to Aerrow. Piper caught him up,  
"Hey Finn, can you believe it? She actually looked at you!" Finn groaned and went on ahead with the captain. Aerrow paused and looked back over his shoulder to the crowd, before catching Stork by the arm.  
"Tell the othes I'll catch up," he told him, and set off back towards the group, not noticing the look which crossed Pipers face.

He stopped in front of Crista.  
"Why did you attack the Talon?" he asked her, sitting down on the rim of the low wall surrounding a fountain. She sat next to him.  
"They were hurting people." She answered simply, not meeting his eyes.  
"I wanted to do something." Aerrow stared at her.  
"But they were armed, you weren't..." She glanced up at him, defiance in her eyes.  
"What does that matter? I can fight. My mother taught me..." she turned away from him and Aerrow considered her.  
"Come here." She turned to him.  
"What?" He repeated it, walking after his team.  
"Come on. We could use someone who knows the Terra with us to catch that thing... that is, if you want to?" Her face lit up,  
"Really?" then just loud enough for him to hear, "With the Storm Hawks... Me..." None the less, she got to her feet and followed him, crossing the square and disappearing into the central town building. Aerrow grinned, Finn would be happy.

They caught up with the rest of them in the main hall. They were all stood around a table, looking at a map of the tunnels beneath the Terras. They all turned as they walked in. Finns face lit up,  
"Hey, what's up?" He subconsciously slicked his hair back, and Aerrow saw Piper roll her eyes.  
"Crista has agreed to accompany us into the tunnels. We could use her knowledge of the Terra." He couldn't understand the flicker of a scowl that crossed Piper's face. But it was gone so quickly, he wondered if he had imagined it. He joined them at the table, moving aside to let Crista fit in. He saw the same look cross Pipers face, and realised he hadnt imagined it. He resolved to ask her about it later. Right now...  
"So, what do we have?" he asked. "Captain Evans?" She turned to him,  
"Please, call me Arca." she told him, then pointed to a sot on the map. "Piper told me about your discussion earlier, and I think you are right about the creature being in that spot. Its remote, but connected to each of the Terras... Thats how it's able to attack so swiftly, and disappear so suddenly... without a trace..." She seemed to think for a few moments. "So many people have been hurt, and a few killed by simply touching the skin of the worm... Are you sure you want to do this?" Aerrow glanced around at his team, all wearing expressions that seemed to show variations of 'Well, duh. Why do you think we're here?', all aside from Stork, who had the same resigned look on is face as he normally did when he realised that they were about to do something ridiculously dangerous... and totally neccesary.  
"When do we start?," Stork asked, and Aerrow was surprised to see a gleam of... could that be excitement in his eyes? Stork continued, "I really want to try out my new, improved, Storkmobile Missile Launcher..." Aerrow grinned at the shock on Arca's face.  
"The worrying thing is," he told her, "It probably works..." They all settled around the table, and pretty soon had a plan. Aerrow turned to look at his team, "Ready Guys?" he asked, and when they all nodded, turned back to the Captain, "Lead on Captain... Sorry, Arca..." They all followed her down a corridor into a room that looked like an armoury, and took the outfits she held out to them. Time to kit up and take on a worm.


	6. Chapter 6

"Oh... eeeewwwwww" Finn had been complaining for the better part of half an hour and Aerrow was getting annoyed. They had been in the tunnels for nearly three hours, and were nearly at the point where they believed the worm to be staying. So far, they hadn't encountered anything but rock, then again, it did echo down here and if the creature were to hear them...  
"Finn," Aerrow called back to him, "Could you keep the noise down? That thing could be anywhere..." Finn gave an exhaggerated sigh.  
"But its bright red, how can we miss... it?" His eyes fixed on a point just above Aerrow, and he turned to see two yellow eyes staring out at him from one of the small tunnel opening... only this one wasnit small... and neither was the worm inside it.  
"Run!" Aerrow called back to the others, watching them turn and stumble back up the tunnel. He followed, turning constantly to see the huge shape of the worm following him, slithering around the tunnel in its attempt to catch him. He could see what Arca meant, it was very much more like a snake than a worm, he turned back and tripped over something on the floor... its tail! It was enormous. He saw his team call to him and start to run back, but got to his feet and called to them,  
"Dont stop running, get back to the cavern we saw a while ago..." the dark shape of the worm blocked his view of them, "I'll meet you there..." He swung his blade from his back toward the creatures face, an was rewarded by a spurt of reddish blood... so it could be hurt... But then he saw the skin knit back together, and within seconds, he couldnt see the wound... Damn, he thought to himself, and went back to slashing at it. He was there for a couple of minutes, trying to inch around the worm to follow the rest of them, and had just managed to get the open tunnel to his back when he felt a sharp pain in his leg, he looked down to see one of Finns arrows on the floor, having bounced off of where it had hit him. He glanced over at Finn, to see that he was immediately getting ready to fire another arrow.  
"Sorry Aerrow," he called "I cant break through the skin on the worms body."Aerrow sighed, he should have known they wouldn't run away, "Well, how about not firing any more?" he called back. The momentary distraction from looking at the worm meant that Aerrow didnt see the tail whipping around until it hit him in the chest and sent him flying. He once again felt relief that the suit he was wearing covered his skin, but the feeling was cut shot as he realised he no longer had his swords in his hands. One had gone flying down towards the group and the other was a few feet away from his right hand. He lunged just as the worm did and managed to get a grip on the handle just as the ceatures fangs peirced his suit.

He jabbed the blade upwards and stabbed the creature just below its head. The pain made it rear up and gave him enough time to roll over and get to his feet. Whilst it was distracted, he turned and ran towards the rest of them, checking to make sure that the fangs hadn't peirced his skin. He was lucky, the armour on his shoulder had protected him. He reached the group and turned to glance at the worm, which was just beginning to come after him. He gripped his leg, which was still burning from the arrow, and pushed Piper ahead of him. "Time to go!" They ran up the tunnel, Junko helpng Aerrow whenever he began to stumble, and spotted the opening to the cavern just ahead of them. Only the worm was catching up, they wouldnt be able to reach it unless...  
"Arca!" Aerrow called down the tunnel, "Plan B!" A huge boom echoed through the tunnel as the crystals they had placed on the roof of the tunnel exploded, causing the entire tunnel to start collapsing. They all ran faster, but the stress of the explosion and the reverberations from the worm meant that the tunnel collapsed quickly. Finn, Crista, Junko and Radarr had just made it through the opening when the entire section collapsed. Aerrow grabbed Piper and hauled her back from the cascading rocks, pinning them both to the side of the tunnel. He glanced bck, to see that the worm was disappearing into one of the small tunnels that littered the sides of the one they were in.

On the upsides, the cascade of rocks had blocked off the access that the worm would have, seeing as the tunnel had collapsed at several points and they were fairly safe in a section that seemed fairly stable... for the moment. On the down side, him and Piper were trapped until the others could dig them out. He only hoped that they would be able to do so before the worm did. He grinned at Piper,  
"Great way to spend my birthday huh?" he joked. Piper grinned back at him,  
"Could be worse," she replied, "Finn could be here..." Aerrow laughed and slumped down to the floor against a pile of fallen stones.  
"Fair enough," he agreed, sighing as Piper sat next to him. "I swear..." he continued, "The next time he shoots me, he'll be cleaning the floors for a month... and be cleaning up the kitchen after Junko... and be doing the messiest chores I can think of..." Piper laughed and they settled down to wait.

XXXXX

Junko was smashing the rockfall with his nuckledusters, trying to break through. Crista spoke up,  
"It will be too thick to smash through..." she called, "but we could locate them on the surface then dig down... It would be quicker than trying to dig around, because we have to idea where they are in the tunnel. We could locate them easier from above..." The captain nodded.  
"Its true," she agreed. Junko sighed and stopped smashing at the rock,  
"If they even managed to avoid the rockfall..." he murmured. Finn spoke up.  
"Well, if Crista says that we can find them, then its worth a shot. They must have got out, even if they didnt, Piper could have used crystals to mov the rocks. Its Aerrow we should be worried about. He cant walk properly on his leg... They'll be fine Radarr." This last was to Radarr, who was slumped by the rocks, whining.  
"Come on guys," Crista said, "The longer we wait, the more dangerous it could be for them..." They all went to follow, but turned at the sound of Radarr scrambling up the rocks. He leapt from rock to rock, looking for something, and at last stopped. He turned to the rest of them and gestured at himself, then at a small gap in the rocks. His message was clear. He was going through the gaps.  
"Radarr, Wait!" That was Arca. "It isn't safe..." Radarr stood and crossed his arms, adamantly pointing at the gap. The captain sighed.  
"Fine then..." she seemed to have an idea. Taking off a small crystal from a band around her arm,  
"Take this. We can tune a detector to the crystal. It will make it easier to find you." Radarr took the wristband and attatched it around his arm. He clambered up the pile and disappeared into the gap. The rest of them stared after him for a few moments, before turning and heading up another tunnel, keeping a constant lookout for the worm.


	7. Chapter 7

Finn had just arrived at the Condor and head to the bridge to get Stork. They were covering no ground with the handheld, crystal energy detectors, and had been there scouring the ground for almost three hours. Then Junko had had the idea of connecting Storks booby trap detector to trace the crystal energy. He just hoped that they got there in time.

xxxxxxxx Just over two hours before... xxxxxxxx

Aerrow grimaced as his leg continued to burn.  
"Piper," he asked her, "What kind of crystals is Finn using?"  
"More powerful ones than before," she replied, "I know that much." She glanced up as his swords. "Why didn't you change to a more powerful crystal for your energy blades?" she asked. Aerrow pulled one of them out and plucked out the crystal.  
"Because I know these ones." he replied. "I know what they can do. Anyway, Blue Striker Crystals always worked fine for me in the past, so why do I need to change them?" Piper shrugged.  
"Just wondering..." she glanced up at him as she said, "Sooo... Crista. Is she a permanent addition to the Storm Hawks?" Aerrow looked at her confused.  
"I dunno, Im not sure that she would want to..." Piper jumped in,  
"But you would like her to?"  
"Well, she's got high spirits, I know that much... and it cant help to have someone who knows the Far Side on board..." he grinned at her, "Plus, if she was on board, it may be what we need to get Finn to... well... Ah, I know what I mean." He smiled at Piper, and she returned the smile.  
"But you like her?" she asked.  
"Well, yeah. From what Ive seen anyway..." he glanced at her, "Why all the questions? She may not even want to... "  
"No reason..." Piper butted in quickly. "Just trying to defy the inevitable boredom that is settling on me..." she grinned at him, but jumped up as she heard rocks and stones moving about on one of the rockfalls. Aerrow got to his feet too, pulling out his blades and getting into a defensive stance... Suddenly a head popped out from a gap in the rockfall and Radarr clambered down. They both sighed with relief, Aerrow putting his blades away and crouching to the ground so that Radarr could clamber onto his shoulder.  
"Hey buddy..." Aerrow said, grinning. Then he spotted the crystal on his arm. "Piper?" She took a closer look at it, her eyes taking on the same look they got whenever she looked at crystals. Aerrow hid a grim as the familiar excitement slash interest overtook her.  
"Aerrow," she exclaimed, "I think its tracker stone... I saw one on Arca earlier..." she grinned. "They can track the crystals energy to find us. Thanks to Radarr..." Radarr jumped to the floor, looking proud of himself, and leapt over to the wall, slouching against it and sitting on the floor. Aerrow and Piper joined him, and settled down to wait...

xxxxxxxxx Here and now... or rather, There and now... xxxxxxxxx

Finn and Stork had just arriived at the place where they were meant to meet Junko and the others, but saw no sign of them. Finn turnd to Stork.  
"We cant start to look for them until Crista gets here... We dont have a crystal to tune in to..." Stork glanced down at the controls on the Storkmobile.  
"Actually," he replied, "There may be a way to find them... if you just give me a second." 385 seconds, to Finns count, later, Stork poked his head out from beneath the Storkmobile and turned off the blow torch. Finn stared at him, shaking his head.  
"Seriously, Stork. Where do you keep all that stuff. A blowtorch?" Stork glared at him, patting the Storkmobile,  
"He doesnt mean it..." he spoke to it, before turning to Finn. "The good news is, I can find them by tracking the Striker Crystals in Aerrows energy blades..." he paused as Finn whooped and hld a hand out for a high five, "but," he continued, "If we dont find them soon, the worm will, and they will most definately be doomed..." Finns hand dropped, with his mouth...  
"Uhhhhhh... right. Ummmmm, we should probably get moving then..."

Half an hour later, and there was still no sign of Junko and the rest of them, and the sun had long since set. They were now working by the light of the powerful searchlight Stork had installed in the Storkmobile and were above what Finn estimated was the halfway point of the tunnel, near to where they had been before. Then again, he wasn't all that good at reading maps, so they actually had no idea. Finn was impatient. They had to move slowly, to give the detector time to scan through the rock, and he was getting tired of sitting still for so long. It was a further ten minutes before Storks detector sounded its alert, which was just as loud as it had been in the forbidden city. At least there weren't any giant rock people around... Neither of them were too excited. The detector had gone off four times already, but only for a short amount of time. Stork had said that it would go on long enough for the detector to dtermine whether it as the crystals they were looking for. So far, they had had no luck. However, when the detector was stil wailing five minutes later, Finn was already backing away as Stork got ready to press one of the buttons in the Storkmobile. Stork aimed the target at the spot where the detector had been wailing and grinned,  
"Ive always wanted to use this!" he called over to Finn, before pressing the button. "Launching Missiles!" he cried, and Finns ears were assailed by the sound of several missiles firing from the sides of the Storkmobile. He grinned as the upgraded dune buggy was smothered in white.  
"Hey Stork!" he called, trying to get through, "was that all fifty-two of the external airbags?" They all deflated and Finn saw Stork slightly manic face peering through.  
"Oh yeah!" he called back, with a slight edge of insanity in his voice. "They work..." He turned to see what the missiles had done, and grinned widely, "As do the missiles..." he added, and got out of the Storkmobile, running over to the giant hole in the ground, surrounded by a crater. Finn joined him and immediately started fiing into the tunnel below them.  
"I think the alert was a bit loud!" he called to Stork, firing at the worm, which was attacking Aerrow and Piper. Radarr was no-where to be seen.

xxxxxxxxxxx moments before xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aerrow nudged Piper awake. She had been sleeping, with her head resting on his shoulder, for a couple of hours now, and Aerrow had also grabbed an hour of sleep whilst Radarr was on watch. Now the crystals on his swords were glowing and he could hear a faint, high pitched sound from above them. Piper yawned slightly as she sat up.  
"Aerrow?" she asked, before noticing the faint noise from above them. She also noticed the glowing crystals on his swords and a confused expression appeared on her face. "Aerrow?" she repeated, "What is..." She didn't get a chance to continue as a loud screech echoed through the tunnel, just before the worm slithered out of a small entrance in the side wall, opposite them. Piper rolled away from Aerrow and jumped to her feet, at the exact same time that he did... and also at the exact same time that the worms tail flicked around and hit Radarr. They saw a bright flash of blue and Radarr went flying, hitting the pile of rocks and falling to the floor, unmoving. Several of the rocks fell from the force of his collision, but neither Aerrow nor Piper could see if they hit him, and he hadnt been wearing his protective suit...


	8. Chapter 8

Aerrow started to run towards Radarr but his path was blocked by the worms tail.  
"Radarr!" He cried, but was met with no reply. He turned to Piper and saw dismay written across her face. "Get to the other side of the tunnel!" he called to her, just as he noticed something coming towards him from his other side. He bought his swords around and deflected the Worms bite, slicing it across the face and causing it to recoil. The tail followed around, and Aerrow hit it away. It worked, but one of his swords had gone flying towards Piper, far out of his reach. He turned to the worm to see that it was holding back... a few seconds later, it darted its head forward, but was sent reeling back by a huge explosion above them, which sent rocks and dust tumbling down. They didnt slow it for long, however, as the rocks just bounced off of its hard skin. Aerrow heard shouting from above him, and glanced up to see Finn aiming his crossbow at the worm and firing at it. They seemed to have no effect on the worm, however, simply rebounding wildly around the tunnel. Aerrow called up to him and Stork.  
"Stop firing! Just get a rope down here!" He didn't have a chance to see if they had heard him, as he was back to deflecting attacks from the worm. He managed it three more times before he was flung back, losing his grip on the his other blade. He rolled out from under the worm, just as he saw Piper send a jet of light at it. She had gotten hold of his sword and was using the power from its crystal... he looked up, and realised that although the bursts of power didnt seem to injure it very much, it flinched away from the light... Light! It lived in tunnels, so it was unused to light. Whilst Piper distracted it, he ran over to her, and told her what he had discovered.  
"Think the Storkmobile has something?" he asked her, just as a rope swung down next to them, he passed it to her, "Grab hold and climb, I'll get Radarr." He ran off before she could argue, and glanced back to see her half climbing, half being lifted out of the hole. He dodged, jumped and slid around th worm as he ran towards Radarr. He ha just reached him when th woms tail slammed down behind him, the force of it sending him tumblng into the rocks... right next to Radarr. He turned to face the worm, but hurriedly shielded his eyes as the tunnel was filled with a bright light.

He heard Pipers voice coming from above him.  
"Aerrow! Hurry and climb the rope!" Aerrow wasted no time in doing what she had said, hoisting Radarr up over his shoulder and running for the rope. He managed to get there, scooping up his sword on the way, without being hit by the thrashing body of the worm and started to climb. It was difficult with Radarr but he was pulled up at the same time as he was cimbing, so he managed it. He rolled over onto his back and tried to catch his breath. His leg was burning, as were his arms but he pushed himself to his feet, peering over. The worm was still thrashing around, but the light from the searchlights was starting to get fainter. If they lost it now... He turned to Piper,  
"Quick, give me the sword..." she handed ove the one she had been using to shoot energy at the worm and he pulled ot his other one. He held them out at his sides and closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts. He felt energy flood through him and ose into the air, opening his eyes and pointing his blades at the worm, more specifically, at its head. He unleashed the power and saw it hit the creature squarely in its face. It flew back and crashed into the wall of th tunnel, collapsing onto the floor and nearly getting buried by the cascade of rocks and debris that tumbled down. It lay unmoving, and Aerrow knew that, although it wasnt dead -with the rising and falling of its body- the people of the Terra could keep it locked in sunight, meaning it would not be able to attack anyone... His thoughts turned back to Radarr and he ran over to him. He put his ear close to his face and felt relief flood through him. He was breathing... He called Piper knelt down next to him and realised the same thing, "Stork!" she called over to him, "Have any water?" Stork looked over to them and down to Radarr. Realising what they wanted, he ran over the the Storkmobile and pushed up a panel in the side. Flicking one of four switches next to it, he ran over to them, pointing the nozzle of the hose at Radarr just a a jet of water burst out of it. Radarr immediateyl opened his eyes and jumped up, out of the barrage of water and shook his fur out. He was still driping as Aerrow grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, shortly followed by Piper. Finn uickly joined them, nearly squeezing the breath out of Radarr before he managed to disentangle himself. He ran over to Aerrow, and clambred up onto his shoulder, settling into his usual position. Aerrow grinned and turned to look around, his face falling as he noticed the missing member of his team.  
"Finn?" he said, turning to him, "Where's Junko?" he paused, then added, "And Crista and Arca and the other men that went with us?"

It was nearly midnight, and Aerrow had reached the conclusion that this was his worst birthday to date. He related this to Finn and Radarr, Piper and Stork having gone off to do various jobs, before meeting them in the bridge. He sighed as he went over the events that had occured throughout the day. Attacked by giant birds, seen Cyclonis, attacked Talons, attacked by a giant worm, trapped in a tunnel for nearly three hours, Radarr nearly getting killed (only surviving because he got hit on his tail, where the fur is thickest and protected him), helping to deliver said worm to a lone, remote, wild Terra where all ceatures such as this were taken, finding out that it would take a couple of weeks for his leg to heal properly... and finding out that Junko, Crista and Arca had vanished. Yeah, he said to himself, definately his worst birthday to date. Piper was off arranging for them to meet with the men who were with them in the tunnel expedition the next day, to see if they knew anything. Stork was off fixing up his Stokmobile, which involved refolding the airbags, charging up the lights, restocking the missiles (though Aerrow was worried about where and why he had a huge stock of missiles) and refilling the water tank. They had all been amazed to see how much the Storkmobile could do, especially considering its size... Aerrow's mind drifted back to Junko and the others. They had to find them... His train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Stork and Piper, who both joined them at the centre table, practically collapsing into the chairs. Aerrow spoke up.  
"Piper?" he asked, "Will they meet us?" Piper nodded, stifling a yawn.  
"Yes," she replied, "Any time tomorrow morning in the main hall. Where we were today." Aerrow nodded and turned to Stork, who spoke up without being asked.  
"The Storkmobile is fully loaded again, and I have managed to hide Finns puzzle cube." Before Finn could but in and protest, Aerrow stood up. "Right" he told them. "We can't do anything more tonight, so get some sleep and head up here as soon as you wake up in the morning." He stifled a yawn as he followed the rest of them out, each branching off to their own quarters. He collapsed onto his bed, too tired to do more than take off his armour and felt his eyes closing. The last thing he saw was the clock click into the next day and he sighed. At least his birthday was over...

As they slept, someone else was wide awake, slumped in the corner of a cell in what appeared to be the new Cyclonia. Junko had only recently regained consciousness, Crista - who was sharing his cell- had told him what had happened, about how they had been betrayed and captured, knocked out and locked up. Right now, as she was sleeping, Junko rubbed his knuckles together, missing his knuckledusters, missing the slight thrumming that the Condor made as he tried to sleep... even missing the snoring that came from Finns roon, loud enough to be heard in his room, next to it... he sighed, hoping Aerrow and Piper had been rescued from the tunnel and that they had captured the worm... and knowing that it was only a matter of time till they came to get him... The thought kept his hopes up and he flexedd, before settling into a more comfortable position, unaware of the dark hooded figure that watched them from the shadows...


	9. Chapter 9

Aerrow slammed a hand down on the table in frustration, and was rewarded by a solid thump and a jolt from one of the men seated opposite them. Also a dull ache in his wrist, but he could live with that.  
"Fine," he said to the men, trying hard to conceal his frustration, "Thank you for your time. If we need anything else we will contact you." From the looks on their faces, it was likely that he had not managed to hide some of the frustration he felt. He let them leave the room before sliding into a nearby chair and resting his head on his arms. He felt a hand settle on his shoulder, and looked up to see piper smiling at him, her eyes full of worry.  
"Aerrow, it going to take time." she said, referring to their plan of finding Cyclonis and rescuing Junko and the others, "You have to remember that these people are afraid of her, and with good reason."  
"Yeah," Aerrow butted in, "But time is something the others might not have." Piper sighed and sat into the chair next to him, soon followed by Finn. Radarr chose to curl up around Aerrows shoulders. Stork had stayed on the condor, trying to think up some way of finding Cyclonis, hopefully without using one of them as bait to lure her in. That was the plan they had created to use as a last resort, using one of them as bait to get Cyclonis close enough to slip a tracking crystal onto her. Aerrow was close to deciding to give the plan a try. After all, Junko, Crista and the others had been missing for two days, and all they could get from the men was that they had seen Cyclonis dropping in from the skies with the hooded figure beside her. They had been slightly apart from the group, so had not been captured with the others, but by the time they had got back, it was too late. True, they now knew that Cyclonis was responsible, but aside from that, they knew nothing. Aerrows musings were cut short by the sound of the doors crashing open and the sight of Stork rushing in. His expression was slightly manic but Aerrow could tell that he had something.  
"Stork? You have an idea?"  
"Oh yeah. I have an great idea, the greatest of great ideas to be used by desperate people... so it is most assuredly going to go wrong... but hey, let's just do it anyway..."  
"Stork," Aerrow interrupted, "Just tell us what it is..."  
"We recalibrate the radio beacon on this terra," Stork explained, in his usual jibber jabberish way, "and expand the area it covers to involve all of the other Terras, which we will get to do the same thing... then set it to scan for the residual crystal energy from Junko's knuckle-dusters, which, thanks to these guys, are much more powerful... That way, we can find the knuckle-dusters, and, through that, find Junko..." his voice dropped and gained the un-optimistic tone that they all knew so well, "That is, if they are in the same place as him, and haven't just been randomly ditched... which is highly likely..."  
"Stork," Piper interrupted, "That's genius..."  
"Well yeah..." he agreed, "As long as..."  
"Yeah, we know," Finn butted in, "as long as nothing goes wrong, which it most likely will..." he turned to Aerrow, "What are we waiting for?" They all ran from the room and towards the beacon tower.

Two hours later and it was Finn who was pacing anxiously. Aerrow had been sat on the roof of the tower for the past hour, and Radarr had clambered up next to him. Piper sighed as she glanced up at him. She didn't envy the thoughts that must be going through his head right now, namely that of him having failed his team, but she couldn't think of a damn thing to do about it, seeing as he hadn't really listened when she tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault. She had been leaning against the window of the beacon tower for as long as Aerrow had been sat on the roof, and was getting frustrated with staring at the same things over and over again. Deciding that she may as well do something slightly more constructive, she started to pace around the beacon, earning a grin from Finn, which quickly fell flat. She was just deciding that pacing wasn't actually that bad of an idea, when Stork flipped up his face-mask, turned off his blowtorch and threw them both over his shoulders.  
"There we go," he said, gesturing to the strange web of metal struts and crystals, "Super enhanced, residual crystal energy detector, with built in tracker linked directly to the Condors main console. Able to track specific crystals to any particular terra using a web of different beacons throughout the…"  
"Cool," Finn interrupted, then, pointing to a red, pulsing button, "What does this thingy do?" He pressed it and the crystal array in the beacon tower began to glow, getting brighter and brighter. Stork sighed, picking up his face mask and putting it back on.  
"That turns it on," he explained, flipping his mask over his face and running to the doorway, quickly vanishing out of sight down the stairwell. Piper heard his voice a few milliseconds later.  
"Run!"  
Glancing at each other, Finn and Piper simultaneously turned and followed him. Finn leapt through the doorway, and Piper pulled up, short, as she heard him curse as his head met the wall and he tumbled down. Stork's sharp cry told her that Finn had knocked into him, and the clatter told her that they were both tumbling down the staircase. Grinning to herself, she made to follow, but, as she tried to, she felt a pull from the machine that Stork had built. Turning, she saw that it had now started shooting off a pulsating glow, and she ducked as a flare of energy exploded from it. She felt the power from the web of crystals, and found that she wasn't able to move. Her attention was pulled to the beaconing crystal in the center of the structure, and everything else started to lose its focus. She barely registered the increased power in the flares that were escaping the crystals, and the sharp movement to her left was only given a fleeting thought. The crystal… that was what she needed… so strong… so powerful…  
As if in slow motion, a wave of energy burst from the crystal, heading in all directions. Piper knew she wasn't going to be fast enough to react to the wave of blue light that was heading straight for her but couldn't find it in herself to care. She barely registered Aerrows voice,  
"Piper!"  
Her eyes widened as the wave got closer, and she cried out as something grabbed her and pushed her to the floor, covering her. The hold that the crystal had had on her was broken and she gasped as the wave flowed over her, making every cell in her body tingle, and was glad that there was something between her and the heart of the power. As the waves continued to roll over her, he head finally started to clear, and as the last pulse rolled over her, something clicked.  
"Aerrow?!"

Piper realized that Aerrow was the one that had pushed her down, and as she rolled out from under him, she realized that he wasn't moving.  
"Aerrow…" she shook him, and was relieved to find that he was breathing. Rolling him over onto his back, she was joined by Radarr, who had just jumped down from the roof.  
"Radarr," she said, panicked, "Go get the others…" He took off, and she turned back to Aerrow. His breathing was shallow and irregular, and desperation filled her. Grabbing his shoulders, she shook him, and was surprised to be rewarded with a startled gasp, followed by coughing, as he sat up. It took him a few seconds to even out his breathing, but as he did, he turned to look at her. Piper sat back, relieved. Aerrow looked at her, a grin on his face.  
"You okay?" Piper shook her head, smiling uncontrollably.  
"Am I okay? You're the one who just go blasted with… whatever the heck that was…"  
Aerrow shrugged. "I feel fine…" Then he frowned, "Why were you just stood there anyway?"  
Piper's face fell, "I have no idea… I just… The crystals were so… powerful… And I couldn't…" She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to find Aerrow staring at her with a worried expression,  
"It doesn't matter. You okay now?"  
"Yeah, I guess…" She shrugged, "As soon as you knocked me down, whatever was holding me to the crystal just… stopped." She looked up at him, and realized that she had never realized just how green his eyes were… She leant closer, realizing that Aerrow was doing the same, until their faces were barely a centimeter apart.

Their lips had just touched when a latent burst of energy burst from the crystals, knocking into Aerrow, who had his back to it. He collapsed to the floor just as the Radarr, Finn and Stork burst into the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Aerrow realized that he couldn't move. He didn't know why… Nothing seemed to be hurting; nothing seemed to be wrong… He could hear voices… That sounded like… Piper? Listening closer, he realized what was happening... Not that he liked it.

"Finn, he has been unconscious for three days…"  
"… Which is why we have to go. He'd want us to follow that energy signature. Who knows, he could wake up on the way…"  
"…And he might not… Either way, we can't fight without him…"  
"… Why not? We need to get Junko and Crista and all of the others out of there… It's nearly been a week since they were taken…"  
"… Yes but… fine. We go, but we don't start the mission until Aerrow is awake."  
"… Fine with me… We have to go Piper. We don't know how long Aerrow is going to be like this…"  
"… I know Finn… I just…"

Aerrow mulled it over, realizing he must be unconscious… But why was he thinking about this… Surely if he was unconscious then he wouldn't be discussing this with himself? His head hurt just thinking about it, and he felt a wave of tiredness sweep over him… Maybe he should sleep…  
_

Aerrow found himself conscious again, but till unable to move…Piper would be fascinated with this, he grinned, then realized that he couldn't remember what had happened to him to get him here… He could remember the rooftop… And then… And then Stork running… and… Yes, that was it, the crystal locator had started to give off power… and Piper had just been stood there… Then he had jumped down and swung into the room, running across to knock her to the floor, shielding her from the waves… Then everything had gone dark… He remembered being shaken and waking up, not being able to breathe properly and finally getting his breath back, talking to Piper and realizing that she had no idea of what had happened to her… then they… they… kissed?... He definitely remembered that… then something had hit him in the back and everything had turned dark again… As he mulled over all of this, he realized that he was starting to feel a tingling all over his body, first pleasant, but gradually getting more irritating…  
It built up, till eventually, Aerrow couldn't take it and forced hi muscles to move, sending his eyes open just in time to see the floor coming up to meet him.

Groaning, he sat up and was greeted with the sight of Finn laughing at him, before reaching out and giving him a hand up, helping him to sit back on the bed.  
"Hey. How ya feeling buddy?" he asked.  
"Like I just got hit by a wave of needles… Very prickly needles…" Aerrow replied, and then paused, considering, "and also like I had an unarranged meeting with the floor…" he paused, realizing he knew nothing about what had happened since Finn and Pipers conversation… however long ago that had been.  
"How long have I been out? Did you set a course? You really shouldn't have waited three days to get moving. I was just unconscious… Where is Piper?"  
Finn held up his hands, grinning, "Whoa, whoa, give me a chance will ya? You've been out for four days. We set course yesterday…" his expression turned to one of confusion. "How did you know we set a course after three days?"  
Aerrow shrugged, "I could hear the conversation you and Piper had…"  
"Damn, You could hear us? We thought you were unconscious…"  
"I was… It was weird… Where are the others?"  
"Storks put the Condor on autopilot and he and Piper are out doing recon."  
Aerrows eyes widened. "Auto Pilot? Wait and Storks doing… Recon?"  
"Yeah…" Finn grinned, "Me and Piper were shocked too…"  
Aerrow sighed, and flexed his muscles before getting to his feet. He wobbled slightly, but quickly got his balance back. "Chance of something to eat?" he asked Finn, "I'm starving here…"

Aerrow sat eating a sandwich, sharing bites with Radarr who had turned up in the kitchen and had, since then, refused to let him go, whilst Finn got hold of Piper over the comlink.  
"Piper? Come in Piper…" The radio crackled.  
"Finn, I have told you not to bother me while I'm doing actual work…"  
"Fine. Me and Aerrow will just eat till you get back…"  
"Aerrow!" Piper's voice came over loud and clear on the speakers. "You're awake? How are you feeling?"  
"I'm feeling fine Piper. Aerrow assured her, "Finn has told me everything that happened whilst I was out… How are you and Stork?"  
"We're just heading back. We didn't find anything unusual…" Her sigh was interrupted by Storks voice.  
"Erm… Piper? I hate to break this up, but we have company…"  
The sound of blasters echoed over the comms, and the Condor suddenly veered to the right, moving quickly to wherever it was going. Storks voice came over the link again.  
"Sorry about the jerky ride, but the Condor has yet to factor the comfort of those on board."  
Aerrow grinned. "I take it that the Condor is hurtling towards wherever you and Piper are?"  
"Yes. I built in a homing device, and assumed that this is where you want to be heading right now?" The sound of basters came over the link again.  
"And we really would appreciate a hand out here…" Stork continued, "…Like… Now?"

Aerrow and Radarr ran towards the hangar bay, leaving Finn, who, at Aerrows instruction, had stayed at the Condors blasters. Less than a minute later, Aerrow was in the air, right in the middle of a battle against a fleet of Talons.  
"Piper!" He called, "Update!"  
"New Talons and Fighters. Not sure how many. They came too fast. We've taken out seven fighters, but there is still at least twenty to twenty-five left… Are you sure you're well enough to be doing this?" Aerrow blasted two fighters and clipped the wing of another one, sending it hurtling to the ground.  
"Yep," he replied, "I'm feeling better than I have in a long time!"  
Another few minutes of blasting, crashing, fighter jumping and flying chickens had the Talons either destroyed or retreating. Heading back to the Condor, Aerrow realized that he hadn't felt as good as he did now in a long time… This thought was met with a sight tingle in his arms, leaving him wondering exactly what that crystal blast had done to him. Skidding to a halt in the hangar bay, Aerrow jumped off of his bike and was met with Piper flinging herself into his arms. Not caring hat Stork was there, or that Finn had just entered the room, or that Radarr was still clinging to his shoulder, he leant in and kissed her.

What seemed like an eternity later, Finn cleared his throat,  
"Hey, guys? I hate to interrupt but we have a problem..." Aerrow and Piper broke apart, both slightly breathless. Aerrow turned to Finn, only faintly realizing that he still had Piper's hand  
"Yes Finn?" Finn hid a small smirk as he answered.  
"Well, First of all, it appears that the Condor had discovered the exact location of the residual energy from Junko's Knuckle-dusters, and that it is on the Terra directly below us… The problem is that the only entrance that scans could pick up is a hangar bay that the Talons we just fought off have now landed in."

Aerrow grinned,  
"Well then, Time to make a plan…"


	11. Chapter 11

Aerrow tugged at the Talon weapons on his waist, trying to get them to fit comfortably. They didn't have long before the three talon fighters were missed, and they only had once chance of getting into the base. He sighed and left the outfit as it was, before heading out towards the hangar bay. He entered the room to the sight of Finn complaining that the Chroma crystal had turned his hair purple and that it didn't suit him. Piper looked about ready to thump him, so Aerrow stepped in.  
"So what, Finn? You are meant to be a Cyclonian. Isn't looking ridiculous part of the act?" Finn considered that, but Piper finally snapped.  
"Finn… You're not the only one who isn't comfortable looking like this. I have green hair for Christ sake. And Aerrow…" she turned to him and considered, before continuing.  
"Well… Black hair actually suits him, but I doubt he's comfortable with that hammer sticking from is waist…" Aerrow grinned.  
"Black hair suits me?" he asked Piper, running his hand through it, and Piper nodded, sidling up to him and tweaking it.  
"Yeah. Sure does…" Finn made a gagging noise and jumped onto the switchblade.  
"Guys? Are we going or not?" Piper blushed and ran to her switchblade, whilst Aerrow jumped onto his.  
"Sure." He heard a chirping behind him, but saw nothing when he turned. He grinned. "Hey Radarr, You with me buddy?" Chirping answered him and he called across to Piper. "That shielding crystal is working! You guys ready?" He was met with nods and he gunned up the switchblade. "Then let's ride…"

Ten minutes later, and Aerrow pulled up into the Talon hangar bay. Finn and Piper pulled to a stop next to him and four talons strolled over to them.  
"Erico…" One of them called, "Notice anything?"  
Aerrow pasted a smile onto his face and rolled his eyes. "Not likely… same as always. I don't think we're gonna have any trouble anyway, this place is a fortress." The four Talons nodded and agreed, waving him and the others into the central bay, and Aerrow let out a breath. It had worked. He grinned at Piper and Finn, who returned the smile, Finn doing a subtle fist pump in the air and Aerrow heard Radarr chirping behind him.  
A few minutes later, and they were heading down one of the corridors, hollowed into the rock. Apart from the odd guard, nodding his head and saying hi, they had encountered no-one, and Aerrow had started to breathe easier. Finn sidled next to him.  
"You know this is crazy… Right?" he asked. "They could be anywhere…" Piper looked at the small tracking device in her hand.  
"Well, finding the weapons store will be a good enough start…" The device started pinging, and Piper grinned. "Got it." They sped up slightly, following the signal from the tracker, and winding their way further into the seemingly endless corridors.

About half an hour later they reached a wide cavern, surrounded by doors and bars. The tracker led them to one of the doors, then stopped beeping.  
"Well…" Finn sighed, "Anyone feel like breaking the door down?" Piper shushed him.  
"God Finn, are you trying to get us caught?" She placed her hand on the door and froze for several seconds. Aerrow tapped her on the shoulder.  
"Piper? You okay?" She gasped and the door swung open.  
"Yeah. Just used the energy from the crystals on the inside to break the locking mechanism. Less obvious that way." She stepped into the corridor on the other side of the door and grinned. "Bingo."

Aerrow and Finn stepped in after her, and Aerrows eyes widened at the stack of weapons and crystals on the racks and shelves around the room. Piper head over to the large selection of crystals and from her expression, Aerrow gathered that they were either very rare or very powerful. Finn called him.  
"Aerrow! I found Junko's Knuckle-Dusters!" From the sounds he was making, Aerrow assumed that he had tried to pick them up as well. Radarr jumped onto his shoulder as he head over to Finn, and Aerrow turned to him, freezing at the sight of the blue fur.  
"Piper!" he called, "The invisibility crystal's not working!" He looked down at his outfit and groaned, "Neither are the Chroma Crystals!" Finn staggered into sight with Junko's Dusters and an advanced looking crossbow. "Then maybe we should leave?" He staggered out through the door, and Aerrow followed him, shortly joined by Piper. She had an excited expression on her face and she held out a golden crystal.  
"Aerrow! A helix stone!" Aerrows eyes widened and he opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of many approaching footsteps from the tunnel they had come from.  
"Damn it… Piper? Finn? Go. Track that crystal that Crista had and find the rest of them."  
Radarr jumped from his back and he drew his twin blades, which had been hidden at his waist. He activated the crystals and ran towards the tunnel, turning a Piper called him.  
"Aerrow! You can fight all of them!" Aerrow grinned, jogging backwards, and shrugged.  
"I can try! Go!" He vanished from the cavern and Piper groaned. "Damn it. Finn, we have to…" Finn interrupted her, "He'll be fine. He's Aerrow. Let's go get Junko and the others and hope he doesn't get himself killed." Piper sighed, and nodded, following him and Radarr out of the room in the opposite direction, following the tracking crystal that Crista was, hopefully, still wearing.

Aerrow skidded to a halt a e turned the corner, faced with nearly twenty Talons.  
"Right…" he muttered, "Not the best idea I've ever had."  
"I have to agree with you there, Aerrow." A voice said from the back of the room, and the Talons split, letting a hooded figure come forward. The same hooded figure, Aerrow realised, that had been with Cyclonis on the Terra.  
The figure reached up and pulled his hood down, revealing his face, and Aerrow froze, eyes wide.  
"Dark Ace…?"


	12. Chapter 12

Piper and Finn followed the tracker for several minutes, finally arriving at a junction in the tunnels. Taking a sharp left, they nearly ran into a group of Talons. A quick scuffle and they had them all trussed up. Finn grabbed the keys from one of their belts,  
"Ya know… This seems far too easy…" Piper shrugged.  
"Let's not get our hopes up just yet." She pressed the pressure switch to open the door and froze, dismayed. "See… Don't ever get your hopes up…"  
Finn stepped up beside her and whistled at the sight of the intricate web of lasers and crystal traps.  
"Wow. Tight security… Radarr?" Radarr ran over to them. "Think you can get to the other side of the corridor? I doubt anyone could get through that…" Radarr nodded and gave him a salute before jumping into the corridor. A few moments worth of jumping, clambering and acrobatics and Radarr had reached the other side of the corridor. Pulling down a lever, he turned off the lasers, leaving Piper and Finns way clear. They ran through the corridor and into the room on the other side, but the sight that awaited them made them freeze.

Aerrow took an involuntary step back, bewildered,  
"But… You're dead…" Dark Ace laughed,  
"No, I was crystal. Cyclonis pieced me back together. Fixed me… But she wouldn't make me whole…"  
Aerrow looked closer at his face and gasped as he realised that part of it was crystal… or rather, the skin was crystal.  
"You see, Aerrow. She thought it would be a fitting… punishment for betraying her."  
"But you didn't… "  
"Not in the Atmos… No. But I discovered a little secret she had been keeping from me, and decided to try and disable her power base here. I failed and this is what came of it." He took a step towards Aerrow, who took another step back, still shocked by this turn of events. Dark Ace stopped, motioning for the talons to fall back.  
"Now now, Aerrow, that is no way to react to someone who I trying to help you…"  
"What do you mean help me? All you have ever done is try and kill me…"  
"Maybe… but no more. Yet another thing that came with learning such a secret. Regret… Something I have never experienced before…" as he spoke, he started pacing back and forth, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Aerrow was watching his every move.  
"But Now that I have grown accustomed to the feeling, I realise that I have a lot to atone for…"  
"And what could you possibly have to regret? Murder? Torture? Being a traitor?"  
"All of that, yes…" he stopped pacing and turned to face Aerrow. "But not so much as all of the times I tried to kill you… or all the times I hurt you…"  
Aerrow shook his head, confused, a sentiment that was seemingly, shared by the Talons. One of them spoke up.  
"Sir… What are you…" he didn't finish as Dark Ace turned and threw a crystal at the entire group, knocking them all unconscious. He turned back to Aerrow, who was staring at him completely bewildered.  
"What are…? Why…? What…?" He didn't have time to react a Dark Ace moved in front of him, and grasped his shoulder.  
"Well…" he replied, a true smile on his face, "What are brothers for?"

Piper and Finn gasped, dismayed and disgusted by what they were seeing. There were tiny cells, each containing a person who was strapped into a mess of wires and shackles. Finn immediately head for the nearest cell door and unlocked it with the keys he had taken from the guard. Leaving the mess of wires for Piper to sort out, he moved on to the other doors. Within minutes, he had them all unlocked and Piper was making good progress with the wires, creating a slowly growing group of confused and unsteady people. Another tunnel head out of the room and Finn followed it, Radarr on his heels, and entered a cavern with larger cells. Only one was occupied and Finn felt a huge smile spread over his face at the sight of Junko. The smile turned to a snarl as he saw the bruises and scars on his face and arms, and he hurriedly went to unlock the door. At the rattle of the locks, Junko opened his eyes and sat up, a grin spread across his face at the sight of Finn.  
"I knew you guys would come. Don't know what took you so long though." As soon as the door was unlocked, leaving Finn marvelling at the stupidity of having one key for all of the cells, Junko pulled him into a rib crushing hug, then let him go and did the same to Radarr. Finn grinned again, then paused.  
"Where's Crista?" He asked, and Junko's smile faded.  
"She was taken from the cells two days ago. I haven't seen her since." Then, as if right on cue, a scuffle was heard from another door, and they turned to see Crista being hauled in by two guards. At the sight of them, her face lit up and she stamped on the foot of one of the guards, sending him howling in pain. Finn fired from the cross-bow, which he had taken from the storeroom, and was rewarded by a thump as the guard fell to the floor, clutching his arm. Together, they ran out of the room, to where Piper was finishing up unhooking the last person from the webs of wires. Her face lit up at the sight of Junko, and she ran and gave him a hug. She did the same to Crista, which earned her a surprised, return hug. Letting go, she helped the young woman she had just freed to the group in the centre of the room, here she began explaining what had happened and what was currently going on.

Aerrow shook free of Dark Ace's grip and backed away, refusing to believe it.  
"No… That's not possible… Liar…" He felt his back connect with the wall and looked to find that he had no-where to go to. "Damn it." He murmured to himself. Dark Ace had a pained expression on his face, but also resignation.  
"I said the same thing… But it's true… Aerrow, Strike was my father too. I never knew."  
The sound of thudding boots echoed from further down the tunnel, and Aerrow stated to panic slightly. Dark Ace couldn't be… But why had he attacked the other Talons… Doubt entered his mind and he looked at Dark Ace.  
"What do you mean, you never knew? How can you be… And why would you… Why would you care…?"  
"I don't know… I've had a lot of time to think things through." The boots were getting closer and Dark Ace motioned him down the tunnel in the opposite direction.  
"Go. I'll deal with this. Get the rest of you team and get out."  
Aerrow paused, not knowing what to do, and Dark Ace grabbed him, shoving him down the tunnel.  
"Move it."  
Aerrow turned and ran. He didn't look back. He couldn't. He ran flat out in the direction that his team had gone and noticed that they had scratched small marks on the walls. He followed them for a couple of minutes, still running, and turned a sharp corner, colliding with someone as he did and knocking them both to the floor. Looking up, he realised he was surrounded by people, and they were all pointing spears at him.


	13. Chapter 13

Aerrow prepared to jump to his feet, but before he could move, Piper shoved her through the crowd.  
"Lower your weapons. He's with us."  
As they lowered their spears, Aerrow got to his feet and offered a hand to the young man he had run into. The man accepted and Aerrow pulled him to his feet, nearly knocking him over again when Piper squeezed him into a hug.  
"Don't ever run off like that again." Aerrow smiled,  
"Why? Were you worried?"  
"Yes. Anything could have happened… Aerrow? What's wrong?"

Aerrows smile had faded and his eyes had a detached kind of look in them. He didn't answer her, however, instead turning and grinning at Junko as he barged his way through, muttering apologies all the way.  
"Junko!" Aerrow felt himself pulled into a bear hug and felt a real grin spread across his face. It didn't last long, and he pulled away, Junko's place immediately being replaced by Radarr, who curled around his shoulders. Aerrow patted him on the wrist and turned back to the crowd.  
He smiled at Crista, who had shoved her way to the front.  
"Hey Crista... You alright?" she nodded and shrugged,  
"Ive been better... Ah well. Yeah, Im good."  
Aerrow nodded. Then turned to the group at large.  
"Come on, we gotta go. There are Talons everywhere. I just got ambushed by a squadron of them…"  
"And you got away?" That came from a young woman in the crowd. "How?"

Piper noticed Aerrows face go blank, and his shoulders tensed. From the look Finn and Junko gave her, she gathered they had noticed too.  
"It doesn't matter." Aerrow replied, and peered back around the corner.  
"Piper?" he called to her, and when she reached him. "Who are these people?"  
"Prisoners. They were hooked up to some wire structure… Atmosia knows why..." She shut up at the sound of footsteps coming from down the corridor. Aerrow motioned for them all to stand back and peered around again.  
"Talons…" he whispered, "But only two of them." He motioned for everyone to press against the wall, and they all held their breath as the guards past. They turned a corner and Aerrow sighed.  
"We don't want them knowing where we are…" He stepped into the passage and called to the others.  
"Clear. Let's move."

The speed and stealth of the group surprised Aerrow, and he sidled over to the rest of his team.  
"Any idea who these people are? Are they just normal people?" Finn answered.  
"Some have been talking about some sort of academy… I think they may have been trainees of some kind…" He didn't have a chance to continue as a cry rang out behind them. Aerrow turned and cursed as he spotted the squadron of Talons who were swiftly catching up to them. Panic quickly spread through the crowd and Aerrow turned to Piper, shrugging Radarr from his shoulder.  
"Get them out of here. I'll deal with this…"

Ignoring the irritated look on Pipers face, he spun around and positioned his twin blades at his side. Feeling a familiar warmth spread through him, he felt himself rise into the air. He opened his eyes and span in mid-air, sending a huge blast of blue crystal power at the incoming Talons. They didn't have time to react as it hit them, sending them flyting into walls and knocking them out. Aerrow landed on the floor, bending his knees to absorb the impact and straightened up, turning to see a crowd of faces staring at him, a range of emotions across them.

Ignoring the shocked and awed faces staring at him, he pointed down the tunnel.  
"Come on, Move. There will be more on the way…" Making no attempt at being quiet, the group ran through the maze of tunnels, Piper leading the way with the crystal sensors. She had set it to detect the residua energy from the Switchblades, and it was only a matter of minutes before they reached the hangar bay. Immediately, Aerrow knew they were in trouble. Sure enough, the three or four dozen Talons in the hangar bay immediately raised the alarm, and, pulling out weapons, started running towards them.

Aerrow needn't have worried. Radarr, who had taken refuge on Junko's back, jumped down and scampered over to a crane. Before the Talons were anywhere near them, Radarr had knocked over a pile of crates, blocking the Talons from their rides. A grin spread across Aerrows face as a familiar voice echoed through the hangar.  
"Would anyone who is wishing to catch a ride out of here, please board immediately."  
Storks voice, blasting out through the Condors speakers, came from the entrance to the hangar bay, where he had landed he condor just outside. The blasters on the condor started to open fire, sending the Talons scurrying for cover, and Storks voice called out again.  
"If you want to avoid a harsh, inevitable doom, I recommend that the word immediately be taken as just that?" Piper called to the far-siders.  
"Come on! Move it!"  
It only took a couple of minutes to get everyone on board, but it was long enough for Switchblades to start grouping outside. Aerrow called to Piper, Finn and Junko.  
"Guys! We need to clear the skies!"

Running for the switchblades in the hangar, he leapt over the pile of crates and landed on one of the bikes. He waited long enough for Radarr to camber up beside him before blasting a path through the boxes. He revved the crystal converters and took off, shortly followed by Finn, Piper and Junko. Aerrow head straight for the nearest Switchblades, using the blasters to clip their wings. Three went down, and a fourth closely followed after a blast from Aerrows striker crystals. Rotating in the air, Aerrow flew beneath two more, using his blades to destroy the wings and sending their riders flying. Heavy fire came from behind him and he spun upwards, looping around to come up behind the shooter and used the switchblades blasters to send it down. In the lull that followed, Aerrow checked on his team, and realised that most of the fighters had gone down. The Condor rose up and Aerrow sent two more blasts from his blades, causing one fighter to clip another, sending them both tumbling down through the air. The parachutes opened up and Aerrow realised that they were done. Grinning at his team, he motioned for them to head to the Condor. Dismounting from the bike, Aerrow was pulled into a tight hug by Piper, and the two of them were dragged into a rib crushing embrace by Junko. Finn got pulled in, too and Aerrow couldn't help but smile. They had done it! Finn was the first to wrestle free, and Junko released the other two, though Aerrow kept an arm around Pipers shoulders. She shrugged it off, gently.  
"Are you okay Aerrow? You were acting strange in the tunnels…"

Aerrow froze for a moment, then berated himself. Of course he should tell them. How could he keep it a secret?  
"Not really…" he replied, sighing. Looking up at his team, he let the gravity of the situation wash over him. Leaning back, he couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it. His laughter stopped after a few second as his disbelief turned to anger... the denial. Then realisation that it could well be… True.  
"Aerrow?" The faces around him all looked worried, and slightly nervous.  
"Aerrow, what is it? What's wrong?"  
Ah, what the hell, Aerrow thought.  
"Dark Ace is alive…" the gasps from his team came in unison, and he sighed.  
"He's alive?" That was Finn. "How? We all saw him turn to crystal…"  
"And he exploded…" That was Junko.  
Radarr waved his arms about, showing his confusion, but Piper just stared at him, concerned.  
"But that isn't what is bothering you… Is it?"  
Aerrow gave a faint smile… she was always perceptive.  
"It's part of it… but no. That isn't what's bothering me…" suddenly, he felt stifled and got to his feet, heading out onto the Condors runway. He turned back when he reached the door and looked at the confused and worried expressions on his friend's faces. He had to tell them.  
"He… I… Dark Ace… is my brother…"


	14. Chapter 14

Aerrow sat on the Condor's runway, his feet dangling over the side and the wind buffeting him from all directions. He didn't mind… he had got used to it. He had been sat outside for the better part of the last six hours, thinking things through. He hadn't been able to stomach the shocked and somehow pitying looks on his teams' faces so he had just walked out. Now that he thought about it… he wasn't that surprised by their reactions.  
After all… Dark Ace had been their enemy for quite some time… though if he thought back… it had only been a couple of years… Aerrow sighed. Having accepted that it could be true, he had avoided his own advice and started to dwell on it. Now he found he could not stop. What could it mean? How could this affect things… These thoughts had been tumbling around inside his head for hours, and he just couldn't seem to find the answers.

He started as light footsteps came up behind him. At the gentle hand on his back, he realised that it was Piper.  
"Aerrow?" her voice was gentle. "You're freezing. Why don't you come back inside?"  
"I don't know… I just… I'm just thinking…" Piper sat down next to him, shivering slightly.  
"Well… could you not think inside? Or anywhere where it is slightly warmer than it is now?"  
Her face held a small smile, but it didn't hide the worry there.  
"Aerrow… This doesn't change anything… Well, nothing we can't deal with in time…"  
"But we don't have time, Piper. We may have to fight Cyclonians at any time, and what am I meant to do if he shows up?"  
"Kick his ass. Like you always do. Or talk… talking's good too…"  
"Talking? Seriously?"  
"Well… we're talking and it seems to be working…" Piper shivered again, and leant in closer to Aerrow, who, smiling, wrapped one of his arms around her.  
"I don't think it will work like that…"  
"Then we will deal with it when we come to it." Piper argued.  
"We?" Aerrow raised an eyebrow.  
"Of course 'we'." Piper glared at him. "We're hardly going to leave you to deal with it yourself…"  
Aerrow leant in, so that his face was mere centimetres from hers.  
"You guys are great… You know that?"  
"You guys?"  
"Well… And girl…"  
Piper grinned, then leant in and kissed Aerrow lightly. She immediately pulled away.  
"Damn it, Aerrow. You seriously are freezing."

Aerrow grinned, and got to his feet, holding out a hand to Piper and pulling her to her feet. Spinning her around, he lifted her into the air, then dropped her into his arms.  
"Freezing?" he asked, pulling her upright.  
"Well… Right now… I'd go more with… cool…" she grinned, and then grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the hangar bay, "Now move it. Seriously."

Aerrow and Piper walked into the main room just as Stork started to slow the Condor. Turning, h noticed them and tapped the Condor lightly.  
"Good Girl…"  
Aerrow and Piper jumped slightly as the speakers burst out with  
"Seriously… You need to stop speaking to me like I'm a dog… or a Fliber… or whatever…"  
"Err… Stork?" That was Finn, who had just entered. "What's with the voice?"  
Before Stork could reply, the speakers responded.  
"I am the Condor's AI. And to be honest, I'd rather be called Ondora than Girl… or whatever else this green stick insect feels like calling me…"  
Instead of being insulted, Stork fist pumped the air.  
"It worked! It actually worked!"  
"What worked?" This was Junko.  
"The AI that I have been working on for the… for Ondora…" Stork flicked a switch and the slight hum from the console faded. "Until I have fully hardwired it… her into the Condors mainframe, I have to keep her turned off… it uses too much power…"

Aerrow shook his head, bemused. "Ok then…" He turned to Junko.  
"How ya feeling, Buddy?"  
"Good as new, thanks to Crista." There was no accusation in his voice, but Aerrow felt guilty.  
"Hey… I shouldn't have walked out like that… I just…"  
"Ah, its fine. If Dark Ace was related to me… Well… Yeah."  
Aerrow grinned,  
"Yeah… So, how are the others?"  
"Fine…" this was Piper. "Crista is a whiz with healing Crystals. We know what Terra's they came from, so we are just heading to the nearest one. Hopefully, the council there will be able to get the others home whilst we resupply the Condor. If not, we can take them…"  
Crista chose that moment to knock on the doorframe.  
"Hey… is it okay for me to talk to you…? I can come back…"  
"No, no. Come in," Aerrow replied, "I believe I owe you a thank you for getting my 'heavy ballistics' engineer back up and running…"  
Crista looked unsure how to respond to that, so Junko spoke up.  
"He means me…"  
Crista smiled,  
"Oh, It was nothing. I just used the crystals… Piper has so many… It's great! I wish I had more time to look at them… But we're coming up on Terra Districtus, so…" She seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts she had been going into. "Sorry… Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I have finished healing the worst of the injuries… They should be fine."

She turned and left, nodding as they said bemused 'goodbyes' and 'C ya's. Finn turned to Aerrow.  
"Can't we keep her around?"  
"What about her parents?"  
"They don't… they don't really care about… well… yeah."  
Aerrow stared after Crista.  
"It would be helpful to have another team member…" he muttered, then, out loud, "What do you guys think?"  
Finn gave a loud 'well duh', Junko shrugged, grinning,  
"I like her…"  
Radarr jumped onto the table, dancing around, but Aerrow didn't know what he was trying to say. Piper shrugged.  
"She's nice… She knows quite a lot about crystals. And it can't hurt to have someone who knows the far side…"  
Aerrow grinned,  
"Stork?" he called,  
"Well… It can't hurt to have someone who knows about all of the terrible afflictions that we could get from being here… or someone who could get rid of mind worms if we were to suffer from them… Or…"  
"I'll take that as a yes…" Aerrow interrupted, before Stork could list all of the known afflictions in both the Atmos and the Far Side. At Finns eager expression, Aerrow grinned, shaking his head.  
"I will ask. If she says yes, then we may have a new member of the team."

The resulting 'Yes' could be heard throughout the Condor, and the subsequent hug nearly crushed Aerrow's ribs. Gasping, he motioned to Piper.  
"I will double check with her parents… But, until then, hep Finn with her room…? He is useless at those kind of things…"  
Pipe grinned,  
"You got it…"  
The two of them walked out, just as Stork announced, over the speakers,  
"Coming up on Terra Districtus…"  
Aerrow sighed. It was going to be busy the next day…


	15. Chapter 15

***-Pipers Log-***

**Is been just over a week since we rescued Junko and the others from the Cyclonian base, but I was only yesterday that we managed to get everybody home. Aerrow talked to Crista's family, and eventually got them to agree that she could travel with us. For a few weeks trial, anyway.  
She and Finn have been getting on surprisingly well, though Atmos knows how she puts up with his constant talking…  
Junko is his normal self, and is already back training with us. The AI on the Condor, or Condora as she wants us to call her, is fully operational. It makes life easier to have her giving us update instead of having to do them so regularly. It's also good for Stork… to have someone to… ya know. Talk to… We had to tell Stork to program her out of our rooms though. Well, that was Finn more than anyone. Wanted privacy.  
Aerrow… well, he says he is fine, but we all know that what Dark Ace said bothers him. I wish I could comfort him, but he won't listen. And it isn't like I can say that he lied, because it could easily be true…  
Anyway, we are currently on a course for Districus, after dropping of the last of the people on different Terra's. We are about four hours away, so should hopefully be able to get some rest, after**

**BEEP***BEEP***BEEP***BEEP*****

Piper jumped to her feet. The alarm was louder than she remembered, and she called out to the ship as she ran to the control room.  
"Condora! What's going on?"  
"The scanners have detected several skimmer sized vehicles in the current vicinity. Judging from their trajectory they are on an attack vector."  
"Damn it… What type of skimmer?"  
"Switchblade Elite's. Advanced version, Model 3.0, with modifications on several of them. There are also several humanoid shapes accompanying hem, powered by a projection/power-flux crystal."  
Piper nearly collided with Finn as he rounded the corner, followed by Crista and Junko.  
"Piper?" That was Finn. "What the hell…"  
"Talons approaching… and by the sound of it, Night-crawlers…"

Crista spoke up,  
"Night-crawlers? But they haven't been seen in… well… weeks."  
Finn interrupted,  
"That's because we destroyed them all…"  
"Apparently not Finn." That was Aerrow, who was already stood at the console. "Condora picked up ten skimmers, approaching the Condor. These were joined by six Night-Crawlers… A their current speed, they should be on us in about three minutes…"  
Stork spoke up,  
"Yeah, And the only reason we picked them up so early is thanks to the modifications on the Condor's scanning equipment. Its years beyond anything in The Atmos… "  
"Yeah, so what we gonna do?" Finn butted in, "The last time we fought these things, we were hard pressed to beat a single one of them…"  
"Oh, that isn't a problem…" Crista interrupted, "They have been terrorizing our Terra's for years. We found a crystal transfusion that drains the energy from their crystals. Without that, they cease to be… well. Them."  
"What kind of Crystals?" Piper sounded excited. "Do we have hem on the Condor?"  
"Well, we have the blocking crystals, but we need Leechers. We don't have any on-board… Though, we passed Terra Debrisa a few minutes ago… They have leech mines across the entire Terra. That's why it's called Debrisa, because the only thing that's left after a ship crashes there is Debris."  
"Sounds Nice…" Stork said, "The definition of Doom… flying over a leech mining Terra…"  
"It should be fine… " Crista explained. "They put the shields up when they left the place after the Cyclonians arrived…"  
"Then what are we waiting for?" Piper grinned, but Aerrow interrupted.  
"We can't all go. Condora can't fight them herself…"  
"Me and Piper will go." That was Crista, "I know the Terra. It will be faster with the two of us…" Piper nodded, but exchanged a confused look with Aerrow, which he returned. He had gotten a strange sense of de java at those words…  
"Piper? What do you think? You gonna be okay?"  
"Sure Aerrow. Be back as soon as we can." She kissed him on the cheek and ran from the room, followed by Crista.  
Aerrow shook his head; unable to wipe a feeling of dread from his mind… he had a feeling that something was going to go really wrong… He breathed out, calming himself, and turned to the others.  
"Finn? Get to those blasters. Junko? You okay to come out with me?"  
"Sure."  
"Right then. Radarr?" Radarr jumped onto the table and scrambled onto his shoulder. "Okay then. Let's fly…"

They arrived at the skimmer bay just as Piper and Crista did. Piper had a bag on her back, full of greeny-blue crystals that Aerrow recognised to be blocking crystals, and also had a very familiar pair of crystals in her right hand.  
"Velocity Crystals Piper?" Aerrow asked, and she grinned, tossing one to Crista, who caught it easily.  
"Yup. Have a pile of them sitting gathering dust. The crystal stewards on Districtus gave me loads. Funny. I was sure they gave me some Leechers… Ah well." She gave him a quick kiss and jumped onto her ride still looking distastefully at the controls.  
"I still prefer the heli-scooter…"  
Aerrow grinned. "Well, you handle it just fine… Don't be too long, eh Pipes?"  
"You got it. I'll be back before ya know it."  
She dropped the Velocity Crystal into the crystal converter just as Crista did, and they were out of sight in a matter of seconds.  
Aerrow felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned his head to see Radarr shaking his head, looking irritated. Aerrow straightened up, running for his ride.  
"Oops?"  
Radarr jumped from his shoulder as he jumped onto the seat, and sat himself in the other seat. He made impatient sounding sighs, and Aerrow grinned as he started his skimmer up. Glancing to Junko, he saw the Wallop raise a hand, signalling he was ready. Spinning his ide around, Aerrow took off down the runway, and was in the air, followed by Junko, in a matter of seconds. It wasn't a moment too soon, as Radarr ducked from a purple blast directed at him. Turning, he cursed as he saw the purple and red clad figures hurtling towards him.  
"Damn it. Finn? Blast those Night-Crawlers. We can get them out long enough for Piper to get back if we keep hitting them."  
Condora's voice echoed over the skimmers speaker.  
"I've detected a slight power drain in Piper's rooms. It has the signature of a Leecher crystal…"  
Aerrow froze,  
"What? But Piper… Crista said…" he cleared his head, just as a bolt of light missed his face by inches. "Stork! Check it out! Condora can drive…"  
"On my way."

Aerrow ducked another blast just as three Talons came up behind him. Doing a backwards loop in the air, he ended up behind them, and blasted two out of the air before they could react. The other one blasted back, but Aerrow span out of the way. He barely had time to notice that Junko was dealing with two other Talon Fighters, before he was spinning again to avoid another blast. He fired from his skimmer, but the shots missed, and the Talon was joined but two others. Calling for Radarr to switch, he jumped onto the wing of his Skimmer sending it into a spiral, and positioned his blades. Radarr kept the ride steady, and his blades clipped the wings of the three Talons as they span through the centre of the group. The three Switchblades dropped from the sky, and three parachutes blew up. Allowing himself a grin, Aerrow switched back, with Radarr, just as Storks voice crackled over the speaker.  
"Ten crystals. Condora identified them as Blocking Crystals cross Leechers…"  
"But… Piper must have known… why did she…?" Aerrow slammed his head forward to avoid a blast, and nearly hit his head on the controls. "Damn it. Finn, Condora? Get those Night-Crawlers… Me and Junko will finish of the Talons."

Looking around, he found that Junko had finished off the other two, and was in the middle of a fight with the last two skimmers. Using his blades, he sent a bolt of light towards one of them, and was rewarded with the sight of it tumbling to the ground. One of Junko's bolts finished off the other, and Aerrow grinned. It was cut short, however, as Junko's ride was blasted by a Night-Crawler. Junko fell from the seat and tumbled through the air, and his ride fell too. Calling for another switch, Aerrow jumped from his Skimmer, and fell straight down. Junko's chute opened, and Aerrow sighed in relief, heading for the falling skimmer. Knowing that they couldn't afford to lose rides, Piper had given them all an In-swift crystal, which makes its target slow its speed for almost nothing. Drawing level with the skimmer, Aerrow opened his glider and managed to grab the handle of the skimmer. It was heavier than his modified Ultra, so he had trouble getting it to pull up, but he managed it, and, folding in his glider, drew alongside Junko, who manoeuvred himself back onto the seat. Aerrow hopped onto his own ride, which Radarr had pulled alongside and looked around to see that the four remaining Night-Crawlers were all retreating. He started to grin, but was pulled up short.  
What was Piper doing?


	16. Chapter 16

Aerrow slumped into his chair. They had been discussing what Piper could be doing for nearly half an hour. He froze… Half an hour?  
"Stork! They were using Velocity Crystals. They should have been back by now…"  
"Twelve minutes ago, actually…" That was Condora, "That's with time to collect Leechers, and with the relative speed of the Crystal."  
"Then we should go after them. Finn, Radarr. You guys up for it?"  
Radarr nodded, and clambered up to his shoulder. Finn nodded.  
"Yeah. Let's go." He went to walk out but Junko stopped him.  
"What about me?"  
"You need to get your ride fixed up." Aerrow told him "We'll be fine. We'll radio if we need help. And we should be back within an hour. If not… well… Head back to Districtus and Alert them. You okay with that, Junko?"  
"I… Sure."  
"Stork? That alright with you?"  
"Sure. No problem…But this could be a trap… did you think of that?"  
Aerrow considered.  
"I hadn't actually. Either way, we got go after them. And we have to find out why Crista lied to get Piper to…" Aerrow froze, as a memory came back to him.  
"Guys… remember when Cyclonis disguised herself as Lark? What did she say to get Piper to go?"  
They thought it over, and Finn spoke up.  
"That her and Piper would go… that it would be quicker with the two of them…" he broke off as he realised what Aerrow was getting to. "No Way. Crista is not working for Cyclonis… What about everything she did for us? Healed everybody… Helped with the Condors AI… She is not a Cyclonian."  
Aerrow held his hands up,  
"Okay, I'm just thinking. I've got a bad feeling. That's all..."  
"Well, let's go, shall we? We are wasting time." Finn stormed out, and Aerrow immediately felt guilty.  
"I'd better get after him. You guys gonna be okay?" They nodded, and Radarr jumped onto his arm. As an afterthought, Aerrow ran to the crystal store, and grabbed two Velocity crystals. Running to the skimmer bay, he saw Finn, ready to go.  
"Are we going or not?"  
Aerrow sighed,  
"Look, Finn… I didn't mean to… well… I'm just worried, that's all…"  
"Yeah. So are we. You don't see the rest of us accusing people…"  
"It's not just that. I've got a weird feeling about this Finn… I can't explain exactly…"  
"I don't care, alright? Let's just go." He caught the Crystal Aerrow threw to him and dropped into the crystal converter. He took off, and Aerrow hurried to follow him.

The next five minutes were spent in an uncomfortable silence, until Aerrow spotted the Terra.  
"Finn? Dead ahead…"  
"Yeah, I see it." He didn't say anything else, and Aerrow felt even wore, but also felt annoyance sneaking in.  
"Look, Finn. I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to upset you…" He didn't answer, and two minutes later, they landed next to Piper and Crista's skimmers. They jumped off and ran over to them.  
"Pipers is covered in scratch marks… and burn marks…" Aerrow said.  
"Crista's is about the same… but these marks weren't made by blasters… Crystal staffs I think…" Finn responded,  
"So… what? Attack in the air, then hand combat once they landed?"  
"Most likely… But who attacked them?"  
Finn was interrupted by Radarr, who was motioning down into a tunnel. Finn and Aerrow ran over, and saw Piper's crystal staff abandoned just inside of the opening. Here was no sign of Crista's. Scuff marks head into the tunnel, and Aerrow and Finn glanced at each other before heading inside. Radarr scouted ahead, and chirped at them. Aerrow lit one of his blades and the blue light lit up the section of the tunnel, revealing Pipers bag of Blocking Crystals. It was half empty. Radarr ran ahead a bit more, and came to a junction in the tunnel. Scrabbling around in the dirt, he ran back with another crystal. Aerrow grinned at Finn.  
"Looks like were following the trail…"  
Finn grinned back, deciding that he had been surly enough.  
"Look, I didn't mean to be such a…"  
"Don't worry about it. Let's just find them." Aerrow held his blade higher, lighting up the tunnel even more. "After you…?"  
"Oh, No. After you. I insist…" Finn motioned for Aerrow to get moving and he sighed, before heading up the tunnel that the crystal had dictated.

Piper groaned and opened her eyes. Sitting up, she realised that she had a raging headache, and that she was I some sort of circular cage. An array of Crystals was woven into the metal structure, and Piper realised that her eyesight was so blurry, she couldn't recognise them. Suddenly overcome by a wave of dizziness, she fell to the floor again, clutching at her head, which seemed about to burst. She stayed that way, curled up and slipping in and out of consciousness, for almost an hour, before she was broken out of her reverie by a sharp laugh.  
"So… Piper. Laying down a trail of crystals… For your dear Sky-knight to follow." Piper gazed, with loathing, at Master Cyclonis, who was stood at what appeared to be a control system for the crystal cage she was in.  
"Unfortunately… I'm afraid we have had to set a little trap for him."  
"Aerrow won't fall for it. You won't catch him." Piper tried to mask her doubt, but Cyclonis noticed.  
"Oh, will he? Well, I guess we will just have to see, wont we?" Suddenly, an alarm sounded and Cyclonis looked up, a gleeful expression on her face. "Oh look. I was right."  
She turned to a shadow on her left, and Piper realised that it wasn't just a shadow. It was an actual person. Cyclonis spoke up.  
"Dark Ace? Why don't you go and help restrain him?"

Aerrow turned the next corner to find himself facing a squadron of Talons. He barely had time to shout a warning to Finn before he was fighting. He managed to down four of the men, but the sheer numbers of the group and the speed and surprise of their attack overwhelmed them. Eventually, one of the men disarmed Finn, and grabbed him by the neck, pressing his spearhead against his throat. Radarr was grabbed as he tried to help, and the voice of the talon holding Finn echoed through the tunnel.  
"Drop you weapons. Or he dies."  
Aerrow slowly pun around and took in the scene. As soon as his eyes fell on Finn, he froze, then, as the Talon pressed the blade harder against Finns throat, causing blood to start welling up, Aerrow spoke up.  
"Hang on, Stop… You win." He held out his arms and dropped his twin blade to the floor. They had barely hit the ground when he was knocked down by a group of Talons. He heard Finns voice calling out his name, but pain started to mount all over his body and he gratefully slipped into unconsciousness.

Piper gasped as Dark Ace pulled back his hood. Aerrow had described what had happened, but it didn't prepare her for seeing someone with a face carved from crystal… Dark Ace stared at Cyclonis with a mixture of hate and defiance.  
"Now, now. You know you can't override the crystals…" Cyclonis said, apparently indifferent to the evident hatred on the face that was mere inches from hers. Piper spoke up.  
"Over-ride?"  
Cyclonis looked down at her.  
"Yes. Dark Ace felt like hosting a little rebellion a few weeks ago, and I couldn't let that happen again. I'm afraid I had to move on from the weaker control my mother used, and onto something a little stronger to make him behave."  
"Weaker?" Piper was confused.  
"Yes. My mother only needed to keep him from thinking over what he had done. Of course, he did it all himself… you know, betraying the Storm Hawks… all of that. But she didn't want him to start regretting it. So she used a light hypnosis to keep him from doing it. Unfortunately, he found out that he and Aerrow are brothers, and it seemed to break him out of it… the regret. I didn't realise until I had a full scale uprising on my hands. Fortunately, I had a failsafe, so put it into action. He can no longer disobey my orders." She turned to Dark Ace, "Isn't that right? Now go and bring me your irritating brother. I need to get rid of him once and for all."

Dark Ace fought the command, but had no choice but to obey it. As he left the room, however, he heard Pipers voice,  
"He obviously has a lot of will power. If Aerrow gives him enough reason, and creates enough emotion in him, he can fight it. He will break free of it."  
Dark Ace thought this over as he went to obey his orders. He had managed to momentarily escape its hold when he let Aerrow go… in the tunnel… but there were still tendrils of the control at the back of his mind. He hadn't managed to erase it completely.  
If seeing Aerrow surrounded by Talons, who were all prepared to kill him, wasn't enough to break Cyclonis' hold on him, then what was?


	17. Chapter 17

Aerrow opened his eyes and held back a groan as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He felt as though his entire body was on fire. Testing his muscles, he realised that he must have pulled a muscle in his right arm. From the ache in his chest, he figured that he must have at least two fractured ribs, and he knew that he must be covered in bruises. There was a deep cut in his right arm, and down his right leg, from halfway down his calf to the knee, and his left arm was covered with small cuts and scrapes. And, to top it all off, he had a raging headache, probably from the huge gash in his forehead. Putting his hand up to it, he found that the blood had stopped flowing, though some of his hair was matted where it had been covered in it, as well as his face and the arm of his outfit. Not that it mattered. With all the rips, tears, slits and blood on it, it wouldn't be good for anything. He looked around, and realised that he was in a small room, with the only light coming in from a grate high in one of the walls. He slumped against one of the walls, waiting for whatever was coming next. A few minutes later, and he heard a rumbling from the far side of the room. The wall lowered itself down, leaving a glass window. Aerrow got, painfully to his feet, and made his way over. He managed to make it to the window, and figure out that it opened out into a wide cavern, before the pain got too much and he slumped back to his knees.

"So Aerrow…" Aerrow looked up at the voice, and glared at the figure standing at a podium on the far side of the cavern.  
"No more moves? No more jumping around?" Cyclonis continued, obviously enjoying herself. "Well, that's too bad… Because Piper would have found those very useful…"  
Aerrow froze at Pipers name, and pulled himself closer to the window. Looking down, he saw Piper, trapped in a cage, in the centre of the cavern.  
"Piper…" he murmured, then, mouthing the words to her, "You okay?"  
She gave him a small smile, and mouthed back "Been better". Then she mouthed something Aerrow could not fully make out. Before he could decipher more that Dark Ace, Cyclonis and Control, Cyclonis was interrupting them, laughing,  
"Oh, talk away… You don't have much time left anyway…"  
Aerrow glared at her, but his eye was caught by movement just opposite him, but lower down. Finn and Radarr were together, in a cell similar to his, and both were glaring at Cyclonis. Glancing up at him, Finn gave Aerrow a 'Well what now look' but Aerrow only shrugged, showing he had no idea. Finn's face fell, but took on a determined look. Aerrow couldn't help but smile. He had the best team anyone could wish for. He looked closer, and was relieved to see that Finn and Radarr weren't hurt, at least, not aside from a few cuts and bruises. He turned to look back at Cyclonis, a pleasant smile on his face, and was pleased to see the smug look on her face disappear. She had no idea of what had passed between the two teenagers, but she wasn't ready to risk finding out.  
"So, you see Aerrow. After everything you did… destroying my home… ruining my life… my plans… it isn't enough to simply kill you. I want you to suffer… And you will…"

Aerrow kept up the smile, and it became genuine when Finn spoke up.  
"Wait… Home? As in where the heart is?"  
"Now Finn," Aerrow interrupted, "We all know that she doesn't have a heart. She is just a cold, unfeeling, heartless, murdering, selfish, manipulative… Damn, Can't swear in front of children."  
"And that's all she is really…" Finn continued a look of fake consideration on his face. "A child… very immature too… I mean, seriously, anger management issues or what?"  
Cyclonis launched a blast of power from her staff at the windows of their cells, and was rewarded by Finn shutting up. Aerrow, however, noticed that the window had started to crack. Reaching back, he realised that he still ad his glider… maybe…  
"Yup," Aerrow nodded, "Definitely anger management… And also possibly deranged… Just a little kid trying to follow in Mummy's footsteps…"  
Another blast hit the window, and the glass cracked even more. Cyclonis realised what that meant the second Aerrow did, and called for guards to restrain him, but it was too late. Ignoring the pain in his arm, Aerrow punched the glass. It took three hits before it shattered, and Aerrow's knuckles were coated in blood, but he ignored it. A group of guards crowded into the room and Aerrow gave them a mock salute as he leapt from the opening. Opening his glider, he head straight for the cell holding Finn and Radarr. He motioned for them to get back, and shielded his face with an arm as he launched a rock at the window. Cracks split through it, and Arrow flew into it, shattering the glass and knocking Finn to the floor. The door opened, and Aerrow jumped to his feet, ready to fight, but his arms dropped at the sight of Dark Ace.  
"What are you…"  
"I can't disobey her orders. Some kind of hypnosis crystal, but she didn't order me not to let your team go."  
"What?" That was Finn. "And you expect us to trust you?"  
Dark Ace shrugged,  
"Stay then."

Finn considered for all of two seconds, and then ran through the door. Radarr followed him, but Aerrow turned back to the window, preparing to jump again.  
Finn put his head back around the door.  
"Aerrow, come on. We can get Piper together. You can't just jump from a window…"  
Dark Ace interrupted,  
"He has a point. She wants you. You can't just hand yourself over to her." Finn broke in, pointing a finger at him,  
"You, shut up. I'm the one who does the persuading around here…" then he turned back to Aerrow, dragging him from the room, "You can't just hand yourself over to her…"  
Dark Ace gave him an irritated look, then followed them out. They got to the end of the corridor, and Dark Ace turned back to Aerrow "Follow your irritating friend and go. The girl will be fine. Cyclonis won't hurt someone she needs. Go! Before she orders me to stop you…"  
As if on cue, Cyclonis' voice echoed up, through the cavern and the halls.  
"Dark Ace! Stop Aerrow from leaving. Bring him to me… "

Aerrow shrugged.  
"Well… that settles it. Finn, Radarr, go get help."  
"But Aerrow, we can't leave you with…"  
"That was an order. Move it. You aren't going to be any help if you get caught again."  
Finn looked ready to complain, but something in Aerrow's look stopped him. He nodded, picked up Radarr and head for the tunnels. Aerrow watched them go, then turned to see Dark Ace hunched against the wall, sat on the floor, clutching his head. He looked up, and Aerrow was confused to see his normally red eyes flashing to brown, with flecks of green.  
"Aerrow… I can't fight it… I have to…" The colour faded back to red, and Aerrow held his hands up,  
"It's fine… I'm not leaving without Piper, and this is the best way to get to her so…"  
"Yes… But you have no idea what she is planning to do…"  
"Then I guess I'll find out…"

As soon as Aerrow reached the cavern, he sprinted over to Piper, who had crawled to the edge of the cage.  
"I thought you left…" she said, her voice weak.  
"Leave?" Aerrow felt a pain in his chest. She thought he would leave her? His voice shook as he continued. "I'll never leave Piper. Never. I'll always be here for you… I thought you knew that…?"  
"I do… I just… I can't think Aerrow, It hurts too much…" Aerrow felt a burning hatred for Cyclonis, but it couldn't stem the hopelessness he felt.  
"I know Pipes… I'm sorry… I'm gonna get you out of here though… okay? You hear me sweetheart? I'll get you out…"  
Piper gave a faint smile.  
"You only called me that once before… I like it…"  
Aerrow smiled back, but the smile slipped at Cyclonis' voice.

"Oh… Isn't that sweet… And it makes my job so much easier…" she turned to Dark Ace, who stared at her with as much hatred as Aerrow, "Hold him back… I think it will hurt more if I hurt the girl than if I hurt him…"  
Her words registered and Aerrow snapped his head up,  
"No…" his voice was faint, but he next time he spoke, it didn't need an echo. "No! Leave her alone…"  
Piper whispered faintly to him, and he leant down to hear it,  
"The control over Dark Ace… If he builds up enough emotion… if you give him enough reason… he can break out of it. He is as strong willed as you…" she smiled faintly, and Aerrow felt two hands hoist him away from her.  
"Piper!"  
He fought against the person holding him, realising that it was Dark Ace.  
"What is she going to do with her?! What is that bitch going to…"  
His voice was cut short by the sound of a machine starting up, and Aerrow realised that the crystals were starting to hum. Suddenly, a blast of energy ignited and head for Piper. As it hit, she let out a scream of pain, which echoed throughout the chamber. Aerrow fought harder, ignoring the blood that was pouring from his wounds.  
"Piper!" He turned to Dark Ace, desperate, "Let me go! I have to… Piper!"  
"I can'… I'm trying… I can't fight…" Dark Ace went quiet as Piper screams faded.

Her screams stopped as the crystals dimmed, and Aerrow couldn't tear his eyes away from her shaking form. Their eyes met, and Aerrow froze at the pain and hopelessness that he saw. Yet she still smiled. Faintly, but he knew that it was for his benefit.  
Cyclonis flexed her fingers.  
"Well that was interesting. Let's see what happens if we boost the power a little bit… shall we?"  
She adjusted the dials, and the crystals lit again, lighting Piper in a blaze of light. Aerrow renewed his fighting, but couldn't break free. Her screams intensified, but didn't block out Aerrow's desperate cries.  
"Piper!"  
He felt tears of rage and helplessness fill his eyes, but he blinked them away, he was too late to stop one falling however, and as soon as Cyclonis stopped the crystals again, Aerrow went limp.  
"Piper…" he barely whispered it. He couldn't speak… Piper was curled into a ball, her body shaking.  
She met his gaze again, and Aerrow saw the fear that had taken hold of her. She blinked away the tears however, and slowly moved one of her hands to mime him wiping away his.  
Aerrow couldn't move. He simply stared at her, helplessness taking over. He blinked away tears as her eyes closed, the rapid movement of her lips telling him that she was struggling to breath.  
"Piper…"

He looked up as Cyclonis laughed. "Well, well. I was right. Seeing her hurt is more painful for you than if I were to do it to you… I wonder…" She looked down at Piper, who managed to glare at her.  
"Now then, Piper. How about this. I will stop the pain, if you do one of two things. You can join me… like you refused to do so long ago… or I will put Aerrow in the cage, and you can press the switch that will do to him what I've done to you…"  
Piper struggled to move, but managed to prop herself up on one elbow.  
"I'll never join you… and I would rather die than hurt Aerrow…"  
"Piper! No! Do as she says…"  
"No, Aerrow…" she saw the pain in his eyes and felt tears rise in her own. "I'd never hurt you… And I won't join her…"  
She saw his mouth form her name, but before she could do anything, Cyclonis spoke again,  
"Very well then. Maybe another few shocks will change your mind."  
She turned the dials, and the crystals shone brighter than they had before. The last thing she heard was Dark Ace, saying that the amount of power could be lethal, before everything was pain…

Aerrow heard the word lethal, and his body was filed with something he had never felt before. He fought back, and a gasp of pain let him know that he could win. He froze, however, as Pipers screams turned to gasps and whimpers.  
"Piper!" He felt something cold on his neck and suddenly felt weak. Turning, he realises that Cyclonis was holding a crystal to his skin.  
"Hold I there, Dark Ace. It will drain his energy… He won't be able to fight back…" She looked down at him, and appeared to come to a decision. "On second thoughts… I don't need her… Let's see just how powerful this thing can be…" She floated up to the stand, and twisted the different dials.  
Flicking a switch, she sent a surge of power through the crystals, and Piper started screaming again, this time with such intensity that Aerrow's ears seemed to be burning. He tried to fight, but the crystal was making him weaker. Only one thing stuck in his mind. Piper was about to die…

**Sooooo, yeah. Wow. No idea how I got to this, but i know where Im going with it.**  
**Piper about to die... Dark Ace under Cyclonis' control... Aerrow helpless... His team too far away to help...**  
**Hope you enjoyed :D**


	18. Chapter 18

Aerrow tried to ignore the voice that was telling him it was hopeless… but he couldn't. There was nothing he could do… If he could get to her… but her screams were making it hard to think. He could only focus on what Piper must be going through… Her screams rose in pitch and he realised that there were tears forming in his eyes. He tried to blink them away, but one fell, just as he turned to Dark Ace. Aerrow barely registered the conflicting colours in his eyes. He didn't attempt to fight... He couldn't…  
"Please…" his voice was desperate, pleading. "Ace please… My life will be nothing without her…"  
He turned back to Piper as her screams faded slightly, not noticing the red flashes in Dark Ace's eyes get shorter and less rapid. He realised that Piper was losing consciousness. He tried to get to his feet, and didn't immediately register that the hands gripping him had loosened. Turning, he saw Dark Ace, crouched on the floor, one arm holding himself up, and the other gripping his chest. He looked up, and there was a thin line of red rimming his iris. It was rapidly fading, but Aerrow barely registered it as Dark Ace spoke.  
"Go… "

Aerrow didn't hesitate. He got to his feet, stumbling from the gash in his leg, which was still bleeding, along with most of the other wound on his body. He ignored the pain and ran forward. The energy from the crystals had destroyed he metal o the cage, and it was simply an energy field. Aerrow pushed through, and was immediately wracked with pain, as though every nerve in his body was on fire. He couldn't help crying out as he fell to his knees. He gasped with the effort of pulling himself towards Piper, and collapsed to the floor when he reached her. He breathing was shallow, and he realised he wasn't going to be able to get her out. Then he mentally slapped himself. Of course he could. He ignored the pain, focusing solely on Piper. After all, the pain was nothing compared to the thought that she was going to die. Focusing on this thought, he pulled her to him and positioned his arms beneath her. It took three tries to get to his feet, but he managed. He took two steps before he was forced to his knees again, but it was enough. He pushed on and managed to push Piper from the web of energy. He was about to follow, but the relief of having her safe and the pain combined to force him to his knees. He collapsed to the floor, too tired to cry out as the waves of fire pounded his body. Dimly, he realised that he had lost a lot of blood… possibly too much… but this thought was pulled short by Pipers voice.  
"Aerrow!" she was struggling to get up, but failed. She met his gaze just as his eyes closed.

"Aerrow!" he cry roused Ace from his inner struggle, and he looked up to see Piper, trying and failing to get to Aerrow, who was lying inside the energy web. Realising that Aerrow was unconscious, Ace felt the last dregs of red, the control, seep from his mind, forced out by the anger and fear he was feeling. Fear was a new feeling… And not one he liked. He struggled to his feet, refusing to collapse back down. Looking up, he realised Cyclonis had vanished. He realise that she would be long gone by now. And that the base would most likely be clearing out. He was figuring this out as his legs automatically ran towards the console. It took him a matter of seconds to reach it, but when he did, he realised he had no idea what any of the dials did. He drew his sword and brought it smashing down into the console. He was rewarded by a small explosion from the set-up, and the crystal field broke up. He leapt over the small balcony bending his knees to absorb the impact. It still ached. He ignored it and ran towards Aerrow. Piper was awake, and had already reached him. She looked up as Ace arrived, and flinched, but when she saw the panic in his eyes, the brown irises, flecked with green, no red in sight, she relaxed, moving aside to let him reach Aerrow.  
His breathing was irregular and shallow. His skin was pale, and Ace noted the pool of blood soaked into his clothes. Looking around, he noticed the blood that had spread over the floor where he had held him down. He came to the same conclusion as Piper.  
"He's lost too much blood…"  
Ace ripped a length of fabric from the sleeve of his outfit. He pulled off two more just as a group of Talons burst into the room. He handed them to Piper,  
"Bandage him up. I'll deal with the Talons." She looked about to say something, but at the look in his eyes, she took the fabric and started tying it around Aerrow's leg. Ace got to his feet and turned to face the group that had just run in. The nervous expressions on their faces showed him that Cyclonis had told them about him. He pulled his sword out.  
"One chance. Leave… Now."  
They all raised their weapons and ran forward. Ace smiled slightly, and raised his sword.

Piper had bandaged up Aerrow's leg, and was just finishing up his arm, when he felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, as she pulled the knot tight, she saw Ace staring at her. She stared past him to the immobile forms around the room.  
"Are they…"  
"They are just unconscious…" Ace replied, before she had had a chance to finish. He handed her a staff, which she recognise as her own. "You okay?"  
She nodded, giving him a small smile.  
She looked back down at Aerrow as he groaned. He opened his eyes, and his face split into a smile at the sight of Piper.  
"Hey… How ya doing?" he asked, his voice faint.  
"How am I doing?" Piper shook her head, smiling, "What about you?"  
"I'm fine… better than fine…" he tried to sit up, but fell back again, sighing. "Well… I've been better, I guess…" his gaze travelled to Ace, and he opened his mouth to speak,  
"Talk later," Ace said, before he had a chance to say anything. "We gotta go."

They helped Aerrow to his feet, Aerrow strapping on the blades Ace had retrieved for him, and made their way out of the chamber. They didn't run into any guards, which worried Aerrow until Ace explained that Cyclonis had abandoned the base.  
They got to the exit but were stopped by the sight of three squadrons of Talon making flight preparations.  
"It'll take them at least half an hour to finish up and leave…" Piper figured.  
"Well, we don't have half an hour…" Ace said, nodding to Aerrow, who was getting paler by the second. Blood had leaked through the make-shift bandage and his breathing had become laboured. They all ducked at the sight of Cyclonis walking through the ranks of Talons.  
"They are not to leave here. Am I understood?" It was an order that the Talons were keen on obeying, seeing as Cyclonis was obviously enraged.  
She brought out a crystal, put it next to her mouth, and spoke a few words under her breath. Suddenly, Piper clutched her stomach, gasped and fell to the floor. Thankfully, Cyclonis was out of earshot as Aerrow fell down next to her, head on her chest.  
"She's breathing. Piper?"

She groaned, and opened her eyes slightly.  
"Feels like those power flux crystals…" she tried to raise her head, but fell back, eyes closed.  
"Piper…"  
"She needs a Blocking crystal, blended with a Leecher, and a accelerated healing crystal. It will block the spread of the energy… If she doesn't get it soon, she'll end up half Night-Crawler."  
"Half… Wait… How can…?"  
"Cyclonis was experimenting…"  
"That explains it. We have to get her to the Condor…" Aerrow tried to get to his feet, but lost his balance. Only Ace's hand stopped him crashing to the floor.  
"Well, in your state, it going to have to be one hell of an escape."  
"I'm a Storm Hawk. Impossible missions and escapes is what we do." Aerrow grinned and got to his feet. He ignored the dizziness and straightened up. "See? I'm fine."  
Ace couldn't help but smile.  
"You always were stubborn…"  
"Damn right. Now let's go kick some Talon ass."

Aerrow grudgingly agreed that Ace was better suited to fighting the Talons, and got ready to pick up Piper. Ace pulled out his sword, and turned to Aerrow.  
"Ready?"  
"Definitely."  
"Then… Go!"

He leapt over the outcrop of rock, pulling the attention of the Talons towards him. Once their attention was diverted, Aerrow picked up Piper and made his way towards where he had left his bike. It took him over a minute, and he could still hear the sound of fighting when he reached the pot. He was relieved to see that Finn and Radarr had left his bike there, and immediately propped Piper up on the seat. He gunned the engine, holding Piper in place, and took to the air. A few seconds later, he came within sight of the fight, and realised that while Ace was good, he couldn't defeat the remaining to Talon squadrons on his own. He landed adjacent to the Talons rides, and leapt from the bike, landing with his back to Ace.  
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, parrying thrust from one of the spears. Aerrow blasted a Talon with his blades and was rewarded by the figure landing in a heap twenty feet away.  
"What I always do. Fighting Talons."  
"Damn it, you are the most irritating… disobedient…"  
"Yup… Oh, Duck." They ducked a thrown crystal grenade and started making their way towards the rides.  
They reached the rides a few moment later, and Aerrow jumped behind Piper, who was still unconscious. He skidded slightly as the tyre fought to grip the mud, but got it moving. A few seconds later he was in the air. Ace was behind him, and they set off for the Condor. It didn't take long for the Talons to get on their tail, but Aerrow was within radio distance of the Condor.  
"Stork? Stork! Come in!"  
"Aerrow? Oh thank Atmo…"  
"No Time. Pipers hurt, we need one of the anti-Night-Crawler crystals and an accelerated healing crystal in medbay. Now. And get the others out here. We've got two squadrons of Talons on our tail."  
"You got it boss…"

True enough, a matter of moments later, Finn and Junko were heading towards them.  
"Aerrow!" That was Finn. "What took you so long. And wait… is that… Dark Ace?" he was looking at Ace. Suspicion evident in his voice.  
"I prefer just Ace…" he replied, "And what Aerrow didn't mention is that he is about to drop unconscious from blood loss. He is seriously stubborn…"  
"Yup, that's our boy…" that was Junko. "Stork's standing by with the medical supplies. You get Piper inside. We can handle this."  
"Need any help?" Finn looked at Junko, then back at Ace.  
"Sure… I guess…"

Aerrow flew straight into the hangar bay, landing directly in front of the corridor to the medical bay.  
He picked Piper up, ignoring his sudden fatigue, and ran towards the room. After that, everything seemed to pass faster than usual. He lay Piper down on the table, telling Stork what Ace told him, and watched as she finally woke up, the Leechers draining what appeared to be purple gas from her mouth. He smiled as she opened her eyes, and found that he couldn't fight the tiredness any longer. He barely felt himself falling, and only barely registered the pain in his shoulder as it collided with the floor. He heard Piper calling his name, then Storks, and then… nothing…


	19. Chapter 19

Aerrow felt himself becoming heavier, and started to hear voices. He found he couldn't open his eyes, but realised he wasn't worried. He focused on the voices, recognising one as Piper and the other as Finns.  
"But Piper, he's been out for nearly two days… Stork says he should have woken up by now…"  
"Finn, he lost a lot of blood… and what he went through…"  
"Yeah, I know… And you should be resting too…"  
"I feel fine. Stop changing the subject. You can't accuse Ace of doing something to him…"  
"Until Aerrow wakes up I can…"  
"No. Why would he? And don't give me your usual excuses. Damn it Finn."  
"Yeah? Well I just…"  
Aerrow realised he didn't want to hear any more and felt his eyes open.  
"Guys?"

They both turned to him, and Piper's face lit up.  
"Aerrow!" She rushed over and pulled him into a hug. Aerrow couldn't hide a gasp of pain as his chest twinged.  
"Oh… Sorry." Piper exclaimed, letting go. "You have two fractured ribs… Stork bandaged them up but…"  
"Yeah… How are you feeling?"  
"I'm fine. Ace's crystal idea worked… It's you we're all worried about."  
"You got that right…" Stork said as he walked in. "We all thought you were doomed!"  
"No, that was you." Piper butted in. "Seriously, I swear if Condora hadn't shut you up…"  
"I didn't realise that she couldn't understand the idea of being doomed…"  
"Because she is optimistic! In Atmos' name Stork. She will be a good influence on you."  
"Well… she can't dispute all of the afflictions that you are likely to encounter…"  
"Not 'likely'! She calculated the chances. They are slimmer than…" Piper stopped as Aerrow gasped in pain again. She smiled, however as she realised that it was because he had been laughing. Perching herself on the edge of the bed, she kissed him on the cheek, Ginning, he pulled her in and kissed her back. Finn made a gagging noise, and Aerrow grinned at him.  
"Come on Finn, Give us a hug…"  
Finn backed away, holding his hands up in front of him,  
"Nah. Love ya dude, but not happening…"  
"I'll take the hug!" Aerrow barely had time to react before he was enveloped in a wallop strength ar hold.  
"Junko… Can't… Breathe…"  
"Oops… Sorry…" He stepped back, and Aerrow couldn't help grinning. Stork still looked rather irritated, and Aerrow called over to him  
"Ah, come on Stork. I'm sure you'll get your fair share of doom… eventually."  
"Yeah… No doubt it will come in the form of Mind Worms… Then you can all watch as I rapidly fade into derangement and madness…"  
"Fade into…?" Finn broke in, and Aerrow glared at him.  
"Finn…" he warned, "Be nice…"  
"Oh… It's fine…" Stork said, walking out, "We'll see who is laughing when he isn't prepared for the inevitable diseases we will all succumb to…"

Aerrow sighed. "Finn…"  
"What? I know what it's like to be depressed too…" He stormed out, leaving Aerrow with a bemused expression.  
"Piper? What…?"  
"Crista… you were right. It was Cyclonis… He's still pretty upset…"  
"Damn… I'll talk to him…" He made to get up, but felt Junko's hand on his chest.  
"I'd let him cool off. You know what he's like when he's gets in a bad mood…"  
"What? More Razor-Lark tracks?" Ace asked, from the doorway. He was leaning on theside of the doorframe,, and Piper got up.  
"Me and Junko got work to do… And we gotta wake Radarr up. He hadn't slept since you fell unconscious, and he only curled up a few hours ago."  
"Okay guys…"

They both walked out, Ace moving aside to let them pass before sitting at the foot of the bed.  
"You got one hell of a team…" he said, making Aerrow smile.  
"Yeah. They're family to me…" Ace raised an eyebrow and Aerrow shrugged, sheepishly, at how that must have sounded.  
"So... How you feeling?"  
"Like I got walloped… And yeah. I know what that feels like…"  
"Stork says you should be back up on your feet in a day or so… Those crystal arrays Piper makes are incredible. Sped up the healing by at least three weeks…"  
"Yeah, she's good at that… So what happened the last couple of days. I know I was out for nearly two…"  
"Well, we fought off the Talons, by the way, that sharpshooter of yours is a crack shot…  
"Yeah, and he knows it too." Aerrow replied, grinning.  
"Yeah, so we just cleared them out when we got the radio message from Piper that you had fallen unconscious. The others weren't too keen on letting me in the ship until Piper told them to, and even then, I get the feeling that Finn wasn't happy about it… And yeah. That's about it. Spent the last two days under your teams' watchful eyes until the ships AI… sorry, Condora alerted me that you were awake. Really not that much happening…"  
"But I was right about Crista? Being Cyclonis?"  
"Yeah… If you rearrange the letters of her full name, Crista Melscoyn, it actually makes Master Cyclonis… I guess she just couldn't help herself…"  
"Any idea where she is?"  
"No. Piper put out a bulletin through all of the Inter-Terra channels. I have no idea how Stork managed to connect them all up… Again, you have an amazing team…"  
"I know…" Aerrow sank back onto the backrest of the bed. "So… we have no idea where she is, and no means of finding her… Damn."  
"We'll find her… and beat her… You did it before."  
"Yeah… but the thought that he is still out there… After what she did to Piper… In Aurora's name, I want to…"  
"Yeah… I know that feeling. At least you didn't have her in your head…" Ace sighed and got to his feet pacing. He stopped at the foot of the bed, his face pained.  
"Look, I… I get why your team doesn't trust me, I do… I wouldn't trust me either… but I am different. Now that I don't have her voice inside my head, I can actually think and I… Damn it, I'm sorry. For everything… Especially in the cavern… holding you back… I tried to fight it… I just…"  
Aerrow sat up again, grimacing as he did so at the spasm of pain that shot though him.  
"It's fine… It's Cyclonis. What she did to Piper… It was just… " He felt heat rise within him, and locked it down, calming himself. "It wasn't… Human…"  
"Yeah… she gets that from her mother…"  
"Her mother?"  
"Yeah. She was the one who caused me to… to betray the Storm Hawks…"  
"And you did that willingly?" Aerrow hoped the answer was no, but he was confused by the reply.

"I don't know… Maybe… I was angry at Strike, I know that… But I don't know whether I could have become angry enough to do that on my own… You know, He never told me he was my father. And there was me, believing that two ordinary people were my parents. They both died a few years ago… I figured I had nothing left but Cyclonia so…"  
"So you ignored the control that you knew was in place?"  
"I suspected it, but couldn't find it in myself to care… Then you came along. The first Sky-Knight to beat me in a fight, and a teenager to boot. I was mad, I can tell you that. I figure that it was what weakened the control. Too much emotion. Then I found out you were my brother? I guess the shock… anger… subsequent regret… I guess that did the rest. I found my mind was clearer that I ever remembered it being. Then, as you know, failed mutiny… stronger control… and yeah. You know the rest."

Aerrow thought this over. "But why attempt a Mutiny? Cyclonia must have meant a lot to you…"  
"More than the knowledge that I had family? No matter how irritating they are? No. My allegiance to Cyclonis had long since degraded into something little more than habit. As soon as I found out about you? Well… That was it. Allegiance non-existent."  
"But how could you know I'd believe you? Or give a damn?" Aerrow asked, and Ace shrugged.  
"I didn't. All I know is that I wanted to try and make up for at least some of the pain I'd caused… I can't make up for all of it, but I can make a start… Either way, I guess you're stuck with me…"  
Aerrow grinned, but before he could say anything, Piper ran into the room.  
"Sorry guys, but Condora picked up more of those birds… you know the giant eagles? Red eyes and everything."  
"Red eyes?" Ace was confused. "What does that have to do with…"  
"Means they're under Cyclonis' control," Aerrow explained. "Piper? Got any of those crystals?"  
"Not cooking crystals, but I've been experimenting with that Helix Stone, blending it with a Solar Crystal. Should have enough of a flash to blind them for a bit. Clear out the confusion from the control…"  
"Great. Can you and Junko handle it?"  
"Junko's ride is still pretty banged up, but I can head out…"  
"Not on your own…"  
"Look, Aerrow. I'm fine. I'll be perfectly alright riding out…"  
Ace interrupted,  
"I can ride with her…?"  
Aerrow looked at Piper, and she sighed, rolling her eyes, before nodding.  
"Fine. But if you knock me from the air, my Boyfriend will kick your ass…" She stormed out, leaving Aerrow and Ace bemused.  
"She is one hell of a girl…" Ace grinned,  
"Yeah…" Aerrow nodded, then turned, a mock serious expression on his face, "But she's right. She comes back in less than perfect condition and I will kick your ass…"  
"I'm not a skimmer Aerrow…" she said, poking her head back around the door, "But thanks. That's sweet." She turned to Ace, "You coming or what?"  
"I'll bring her back good as new…" Ace assured Aerrow, and followed her out.

A few moments later, and Aerrow realised he was going to go insane just sitting there. He got restless enough to attempt to get to his feet, and happy that he managed it, made his way out of the medbay. It took a couple of minutes, but Aerrow managed to get himself properly balanced, and he realised that the movement was actually helping his aching muscles. He found himself heading towards Finn's quarters, and nearly got knocked over by him coming out.  
"Whoa…!" Finn grabbed his arm and pulled him upright.  
"Stork said you should be in medbay…"  
"I feel fine…"  
"But you asked Dark Ace to go with Piper? I was here…"  
"Finn… He's just Ace… And you were upset… I didn't want to…"  
"Oh yeah? And what makes you think you can trust him?"  
"Just a feeling…"  
"Like with Crista… Oh, sorry, Master Cyclonis…" Finn walked over to his bed and slumped down. Aerrow followed him over and leant on the wall.  
"Would now be a bad time to say I told you so…" he asked, attempting to lighten the mood. Finn just glared and Aerrow sighed.  
"Finn… What's the real problem? It's not Ace… or at least, it's not that you think he's evil… And I knew you liked Cris…"  
Finn looked up at the pause and grinned ruefully.  
"Yeah… should have known she was too good to be true… But it isn't just that… It's Ace too…"  
Aerrow sat next to him as he started talking.  
"I know how you must be feeling… You know… You thought you had no family… now you have a brother and whoop-de-doo… but dude, your life is gonna change completely. Have you even thought about that?"  
"Yeah… But I'm looking forward to it Finn…"  
"Yeah, Well… good for you. But have you even thought about how I actually had a brother of my own back in Atmos?"  
"You had a brother? Finn… you're my oldest friend… you never told me that…"  
"Yeah well… there didn't seem to be any point. We never got on anyway… but seeing Ace miraculously appear? Made me miss him… Not much, but still…"  
"So… Its jealousy? Finn… the greatest sharpshooter in Atmos, the defeater of Terra Neons' Duck Shoot-out… Worst Air Guitarist ever… Great Dome of Vapos… is jealous?"  
Finn looked about to complain, then stopped, and grinned.  
"Dude. I don't get jealous… Not my style…" He got to his feet, and made to walk out, but Aerrow got up and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.  
"Look, Finn… I'm sorry okay? I wish there was something I could…"  
"Just forget it dude. I'm fine… I recently found out that evil raging psychopaths aren't my style. I'm cool."  
"Alright then… but you know I consider you to be my brother, right? Completely…"  
"Oh, come on man, don't get sappy on me…" He made a half-hearted attempt to pull out of the hug, and grinned. "So… Fancy training? I call dibs on the crossbow…"  
"I'm not sure Stork would be happy with that. I don't want him to start talking about how I'm doomed and all that…"  
"How about tomorrow? Come on. You know you heal faster than whatever Stork says. He just overshoots it so you will stay in bed longer…" Aerrow shook his head, grinning.  
"Fine. But I'm teaching you to fight with a blade." Finn made to interrupt, but Aerrow wouldn't let him. "No buts, you need to know how to use one…"  
Finn shrugged.  
"Fine… But then I'm using you as target practice…"  
Aerrow smirked.  
"So I can show you up again? You're on…"

Aerrow was suddenly knocked over by a flying ball of blue fur.  
"Hey buddy!" he laughed, as he got, painfully to his feet. "Bit too enthusiastic Radarr…" The little blue sky monkey didn't seem to care as he clambered up the arm that Aerrow offered and curled around his shoulder.  
Grinning, Aerrow made his way up to the control room, followed by Finn. As he expected, Stork wasn't too happy to see him walking around.  
"Aerrow… I don't see what you expect me to do if you refuse to keep still for even the slightest moment…"  
"Stork, I feel fine. Honest. Actually, I feel great. It's loosening up my muscles…"  
"Fine. But if you get sky-motion muscle relaxing disease, don't complain to me."  
Aerrow turned to Finn,  
"Sky-Motion what now?" Finn just shrugged, as clueless as Aerrow was, and followed him out onto the outer deck in front of the control room.  
Finn grudgingly motioned to Ace, who was confusing the birds by looping and spinning around them.  
"You're right. He is different…"  
"Does that mean you'll lighten up on him?"  
"Maybe… If I start to like the guy… After all, he did try to destroy us countless times…"  
"What would you like? A written apology?"  
"No… I'm just finding it hard to trust him."  
"Well, you don't need to trust him right away… Just give him a chance Finn… I have a feeling this is gonna work fine…"  
"You and your bloody feelings…" Finn complained, but shrugged. "Fine…"  
Aerrow grinned a the last of the birds flew away, and the pair made their way into the hanger bay, Ace looping around Piper, making her shout at him to stop showing off. He turned to go and meet them,  
"Finn? You coming?"  
"Nah, I gotta apologise to Stork and go find Junko. I said I'd help clean out the kitchen…"  
"You? Willingly cleaning?"  
"Sure… Means I get a chance to eat. I'm starving…" At that, Aerrow realised he was too.  
"Damn, I haven't eaten in nearly three days…" he realised. "I'll head down to the kitchen in half an hour Finn. Don't eat all the Halami…"  
"You got it…"  
Aerrow turned and head down towards the hangar bay, Radarr still holding his shoulder. Well, he mused, better go and hear Piper rant at him for being out of bed…


	20. Chapter 20

Aerrow opened his eyes, and looked up at the med-bay ceiling. To keep Stork happy, he had agreed to spend the night there, just in case something happened. He flexed his muscles and found that he felt better than he had in ages. The aches had stopped, and, thanks to Pipers crystals, his ribs had virtually mended. Looking at the cuts, he found that there were only scars there, and the bruises had faded into almost nothing.  
He flopped back down onto the cushions, grinning to himself. He had been right about Piper having a go at him… But he managed to cut her rant short after a couple of minutes by pulling her in for a kiss. She hadn't been able to hold back a grin, and her attempt at being sincere completely failed. She had head up to the kitchen ahead of him, and Aerrow had been presented with Radarr, standing in front of him with his hand on his hips. It hadn't taken much to realise he was being admonished. Ace had burst out laughing at the fact that Aerrow was being told off, or rather, gestured at, by a little blue sky-monkey, and Aerrow had head off to the kitchen, leaving both Ace and Radarr in stitches.  
They had both walked in a few moments after him, Radarr jumping down from Ace's back. At Finns incredulous expression, considering Radarr didn't normally take to new-comers, Ace had just shrugged, saying "I guess he likes me…"  
Aerrow grinned at the memory. Ace seemed to be fitting in really well… which, now that he thought about it, was strange. Not that it worried him. He had long since started trusting his instincts, and they told him that there was nothing wrong.  
Aerrow remained that way for nearly half an hour, not feeling the urge to get up. Eventually, however, he realised that if he wanted his body to fix itself properly, he may actually want to move around a bit.

Getting to his feet, Aerrow pulled on his new top, having had to bin the last one, and head out up to the control room. As he entered, he noted Stork, sat in his chair by the controls. He was reading something that looked suspiciously like…  
"Hey, Stork… Is that '1001 Terrible afflictions and the hopeless means of fighting them?'"  
"Yeah…"  
"I thought you finished it…?"  
"I did… this is a far side version… and the afflictions are so much more…" his expression turned to an evil grin, "Deadly…" his face lit up, and a smile spread across it "I am learning so much…"  
He turned back to the book and Aerrow shook his head, grinning,  
"Okay then…" Realising that it was still quite early in the morning, he made his way out onto the balcony, and leant against the railings.  
After about ten minutes like that, he felt completely awake, and better than ever. Taking a last deep breath, he turned back and was greeted by Ace, leaning against the rail near to the door, his face expressionless.  
"It's funny…" he said, still staring straight ahead, "I haven't stood in this spot for… well, years, and yet, it doesn't feel any different…"  
"I guess some things don't change…" Aerrow replied, "Did you sleep at all last night?"  
"I don't really sleep much… Never have…"  
"Fair enough… I'm heading down to the kitchen… you hungry?"  
"Not really… I'm gonna stay up here for a bit…"  
"Sure…" Aerrow was about to say something else, but decided against it. Heading in, he made his way to the kitchen, straight into an argument between Finn and Piper.

"You are not playing your damn music this early in the morning!" Piper raged,  
"Razor-Lark isn't 'damn music'. Its art!"  
"It's electric rock. It's terrible. And it's too early!"  
"Not for your music though… What do you see in The Doves?"  
"They are a classic band! And their music is great! I don't see everyone complaining when I play it…"  
"Because they have no taste… If they did, they would be begging for the musical styling's…"  
"The 'Musical styling's of Finn', Yeah. Like we haven't heard that before. It was a load of rubbish to start out with!"  
Whilst they were arguing, Aerrow had made his way over to the cupboards, grabbed some sweet-bread and was sat down, nibbling at it, watching he pair of them with amusement. They were so into it, they hadn't noticed him come in, and as Finn prepared to give an example of air guitar, Aerrow decided that it was time he stepped in.  
"Finn!" he grinned as they both span around, obviously having no idea that he had been sat there. "No air guitar. It's terrible. Piper… Stop fighting with him. You know it only makes him talk more…" Finn slumped down into his seat, sulking,  
"Yeah. That's right. Just coz you have no taste when it comes to music…"  
"Oh no… Not Razor-Lark…" Junko cringed as he walked in, "I hate that group… What about the Wallopians…?"  
"Wallopian throat singing?" the others all cringed as they remembered the last time it had streamed through the speakers. Aerrow decided to butt in before Finn could.  
"Bit loud Junko…Not that there is anything wrong with it… We just… Finns just annoyed that we prefer Pipers style of music more than his."  
"Really? You are arguing over that again?"

Aerrow sighed in relief, as the threat of Wallopian throat singing, blasting over the speakers, was dropped.  
"Not any more, they're not… So, Finn… Still ready for me to kick your ass?"  
Finn brightened up.  
"Not likely! This time I'm gonna actually hit you…"  
"Yeah Right," was Junko's response to that. "I'm sorry Finn, but Aerrow hits your bolts away so easily, he's actually working on trying to direct them into the wall in a smiley face…"  
"Which he is not going to do" Finn argued, then paused before finishing. "Even if he did, I would just be… showing off."  
Piper held back a laugh and turned to Aerrow.  
"Are you sure you should be fighting? What if you haven't… "  
"I'm fine Pipes," he assured her, "I feel better than I have in… well, ages. And sitting around doing nothing is just going to drive me crazy…"  
She sighed.  
"Fine. Why don't you boys go and knock yourselves out…"  
Finn whooped and ran for the training room, followed closely by Junko, who was waving a half-finished sandwich in the air. Aerrow grinned, then turned to Piper,  
"You sure you don't want to come? I promise I'll go easy on you…"  
"No… I want to experiment more with the Helix Stone…" her eyes lit up as she was taking about it, and Aerrow couldn't help smiling,  
"What are you smiling at?"  
"Just… you… You're so… You…"  
She smiled back at him,  
"Well, I'm worried that you sound so amazed by that… Aren't I always me?"  
"Yeah… but watching you being you is just so… awesome…" Piper shook her head, slightly bemused,  
"Are you sure your head is feeling okay?"  
Aerrow laughed,  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just love you…"  
She didn't lose the bemused look, but went on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.  
"You're crazy, you know that? Now go knock Finn out. Then maybe we can finally have some peace and quiet around here…"  
She head out and in the opposite direction to where Aerrow was headed. Grinning to himself, he ran towards the training room. Stepping inside, he dodged the blue bolt that was shot at him, and turned to Finn, an indignant look on his face.  
"Hey! What was that for?"  
Finn grinned, a slightly evil look coming over his face.  
"Practise shot…" he raised the crossbow again, and Aerrow brought out his twin blades, grinning,  
"Hey! Junko!" he called, moving to the centre of the room, "What do you reckon? Smiley face?"  
Junko didn't have time to answer as Finn fired another bolt. Aerrow deflected it, sending it flying into the wall, and the game began.


	21. Chapter 21

Aerrow counted fourteen bolts when the barrage finally stopped. Finn was out of Ammunition.  
His pouting expression nearly made Aerrow laugh, but Junko's explosive whoop distracted him.  
"Hey! Finn! You know you said Aerrow couldn't make a smiley face from the bolts he deflected?" Finn shrugged,  
"Yeah…"  
"Well… Take a look at the wall…"  
Aerrow burst out laughing at the indignant expression that crossed Finns face. On the wall was a near perfect smiley face, a bolt for each eye, seven making up the mouth, and the remaining five positioned randomly around it.  
Aerrow high-fived Junko, then fist-bumped Radarr.  
"I never thought that would actually work…" he grinned, then turned to see that Finn was still trying to figure out how he had done it.  
"Come on Finn! My turn! You said I could teach you how to use a blade…"  
Finns attention was drawn to him, and his face fell.  
"Yeah… But I still don't think…"  
"Actually, knowing how to use some kind of blade is really useful…" Ace said, leaning against the wall near to the door. "You never know when you'll be thrown into hand-to-hand combat…"  
"But I like my cross-bow…" Finn complained, hugging it to his chest, "And I've never found any other weapon that agrees with me…"  
"That's because you gave up after trying out a staff and a slingshot…" Aerrow said, walking to the weapons locker. "Why did you try a slingshot anyway?"  
Finn shrugged,  
"It looked cool when I was a kid…"  
"You're still a kid…"  
"Am not… I'm mature."  
"Yeah, course you are Finn… That's why you declared yourself king of the Condor when I went on that mission with The Red Eagles… I was away for less than a day and you banished everybody… Again…"  
"That doesn't mean anything…"  
Aerrow grinned as he pulled Finn over to the weapons,  
"Sure Finn…"

"King of the Condor?" Ace asked Junko, sitting down next to him.  
"Yeah… It's a long story… Basically Finn likes the thought of being in charge… He got Power hungry… Like every other time he gets left in charge…"  
"Yeah. That's why Aerrow leaves it to me…" Piper said, slumping down on the floor, against the wall. "And apparently, its why I can't work for the racket that's echoing through the entire ship… Hey, Did Aerrow manage to make the smiley face?" She asked, catching sight of Finns discarded crossbow.  
"Yeah," Junko replied, "On the wall… Over there…"  
Ace and Piper both turned, and Piper grinned as Ace's eyes widened.  
"Surprised? He's been working on that for nearly three weeks…"  
"What? Firing a crossbow?"  
"No. Deflecting Bolts fired at him by Finn and directing them into the wall. Not only is it good practice, but it annoys Finn."  
"Hey!" Finn called over, his hands holding two different types of blade. "I can hear you, ya know… And he was just lucky…"

Aerrow looked at the wide, short blade and the longer, curved sword that Finn was holding and sighed.  
"You know Finn… I would help if you made your mind up…"  
"How? I have no idea what I'm meant to do with them…"  
Ace got to his feet and made his way over, scooping up Finns crossbow. When he reached them, he handed it to him,  
"Show me how you fire it…"  
"What?"  
"How do you fire it? Hold it?"  
Finn shrugged, then raised it, pointing it at the far wall. He mimed firing it, then dropped it to his side.  
"Like that I guess… Why?"  
Ace scanned the racks of weapons and selected a short blade, slightly longer than Aerrow's, but slightly thinner, and handed it to him.  
"Try this one. You can hold it in a similar position to the crossbow… with the same kind of hand hold…"  
Finn waved it around and Aerrow jumped back to avoid the sharp edge.  
"Hey! Watch it…"  
Finn didn't seem to listen as a smile started to form on his face.  
"This isn't so bad…" he said, placing his crossbow on the rack next to the locker, "Seems to… fit…"  
Ace smiled.  
"Good. Thought it would… Certain styles are suited to different people…" he explained to Aerrow, who had raised an eyebrow, "After a while… you kind of pick up on them…" He jumped back as Finn swung the sword again, then took a couple of steps back.  
"I'll leave the rest to you…" he said, and made his way over to the others.

Instead of sitting down, Ace leant against the wall, watching Aerrow show Finn the proper way to hold the sword. He looked down at Piper,  
"This might take a while…" he murmured, and she smiled.  
"Yeah… How did you do that?"  
"What?"  
"The sword picking thing…"  
"I said… You pick up on these things if you are around them enough…"  
"So… you've seen me fight… What would you recommend for me?"  
Ace considered.  
"Well… a traditional blade wouldn't do… I'd recommend a double ended blade… similar to the staff you use. You'd need little adjustment to your fighting style, and it wouldn't take long for you to get used to it…"  
Junko spoke up,  
"And what about me? Wallops have never really taken to swords and stuff…"  
"Which is why I wouldn't recommend it," Ace replied, "But you could always try a full length, wide style blade… maybe a Classtra…"  
"Like yours?"  
Ace shrugged,  
"Maybe… But possibly with a wider guard… can take more force…"  
He was cut off by the sound of blades connecting and they all turned to see Finn and Aerrow exchanging blows in slow motion.  
Ace whistled softly. "Maybe it won't take that long…" he amended, "Finn seems to have the basics already…"  
"In theory!" Finn called over. "I'm actually kinda liking it…"

Aerrow continued to teach Finn the basic strikes and parries for almost an hour, when Finn eventually yawned.  
"Wow. This stuff takes it out of you…"  
"No… that's because you were awake all last night listening to your damn music." Piper called over.  
Fin gave her a sheepish look.  
"I had it quiet…"  
Aerrow butte in before they could get into another argument about the merits of music.  
"Nice job Finn." He said, sheathing his own twin blades and handing Finn a sheath for his. "Bit more practise and we can try an actual sparring match."  
Finn sheathed the sword, grinning,  
"Any chance I'll get good enough to kick your ass?"  
Aerrow grinned,  
"Not on your life…" He called over to Piper and Junko, "Hey, Piper, Junko… Wanna bit of hand-to-hand training? I need to get some practice in…"  
"Sorry Aerrow," Junko replied, "I promised Finn we'd do target practice…"  
"I'm in," Piper grinned, getting to her feet.  
She walked over, pulling her staff from her back and extending it. Using a shielding and a binding crystal, she dulled the edges of Aerrow's blades, something he always insisted on, and positioned herself across from him.  
"Finn may not be able to kick your ass," she grinned, "But you, starling and Lucy-Lu taught me pretty well…"  
Aerrow grinned back,  
"Then let's see what good it did."  
He blocked the end of her staff, which came hurtling from the side and retaliated with a sideswipe. Piper blocked it and they continued to exchange blows.

Ace was impressed. Piper was doing quite well, though he knew Aerrow wasn't getting the chance to train properly. He needed a proper opponent if he was to actually have a decent training session. Grinning, he got to his feet and edged around the room to the locker. Pulling his sword from the rack, he replaced the red crystal with a green striker crystal, similar to the blue striker crystals that powered Aerrow's weapons, and span the sword around a couple of times, readjusting himself to it.  
Turning, he realised that Piper had slipped over, and Aerrow was pulling her to her feet.  
Laughing, she picked up her staff, clicked it back to the shorter length and clicked it into place on her back.  
"Re-match. Tomorrow," she demanded, grinning.  
"Sure thing… Not like I'm doing anything else," he replied, "Still wish I had another sky-knight to train with though…"  
"Well," Ace butt in, "I may not be a sky-knight… but I think I can provide enough of a challenge…?"  
He made it a question, and Aerrow hesitated for the briefest moment before nodding.  
"You're on…"  
Piper shook her head.  
"What is it with you guys and fighting?" she asked, but walked over to the other side of the room, sitting on one of the benches. At Aerrow's questioning look, she stated,  
"Not that I'm gonna miss it… Might be refreshing to see you in a fight you may actually lose…"  
Ace sighed,  
"Actually… aside from the first time I fought him, he's beaten me in every encounter we've had… Though only marginally… And with a heavy dose of luck on some occasions…"

Finn poked his head around the door.  
"Hey guys, Me, Junko and Radarr were going to…" his voice trailed off as he took in the scene.  
"Seriously? Aerrow's running the risk of getting his ass handed to him?" He turned and beckoned down the corridor,  
"Hey! Junko! Radarr! You aren't gonna wanna miss this! One of these guys is gonna get smack down so hard…"  
Aerrow sighed.  
"Honestly… So much for target practice…"  
"What?" Ace asked, "You afraid I'll win?"  
"Oh, that is, so, not gonna happen." Aerrow replied, unsheathing his blades and moving to an attack stance. "Wanna count us in Piper?"  
"Sure… Five…" Junko sat down and Radarr scrambled to the top of the climbing frame for a better view as she said "Four… Three… Two…" On the number one, Aerrow and Ace moved simultaneously, and the clash of their blades echoed through the room.

**Just wanted to show how thing have changed in such a short space of time. Ya know, Aerrow and Dark Ace(well, Ace) Training? Wonde how thts gonna turn out... ****I guess I get to decide, Lol :D**  
**Hope you like it! And things will be getting more exciting very soon... Dum Dum Duuuuuuuuuummmmmmm  
And a huge 'Hi' to all my regular readers!**


	22. Chapter 22

Aerrow parried another blow then used his left blade to sideswipe the hilt of Ace' sword. He spun round, whipping his blade from beneath the larger one, and brought both blades up to block a strike from Ace, who had spun around and struck out. Using both blades, he pushed out and span, blocking the word with one blade whilst lashing out with the other at Ace's chest. If I wasn't for the blocking crystal, it would have been a winning blow, and Ace acknowledged it by stepping back, and sheathing his sword.  
The others, who had been watching the ten minute long sparing match, burst into applause, though Finn groaned dramatically at the fact that Aerrow still hadn't been beaten.  
Aerrow sheathed his own blades and gripped the hand that Ace held out, grinning. Ace let go, ginning in spite of his loss.  
"Very impressive. That block and side-swipe attack? I've never seen that one before."  
"It's kinda new. And I gotta admit, it's good to have someone skilled to train with. The others are good, but they aren't… "  
"Sky-knights. Yeah, I get what you mean. I want a rematch though…"  
Aerrow didn't get a chance to answer as Junko punched him, playfully, in the shoulder. It still sent Aerrow off balance but he managed to gain it before he fell over..  
"That was awesome! You guys are great!"  
Aerrow had to smile at Junko's enthusiasm, and again at the grin Finn tried to hide along with his fake impatience.  
"Yeah… It was cool. Seen it all before though… Junko? I thought we were doing target practice?"  
"But I…"  
"Juuunnkoooooo… You promised…" Finn whined, knowing it would get Junko to tag along, and sure enough, the wallop followed him out, shortly followed by Radarr, who only stopped to give Aerrow a high five.  
Piper grinned.  
"Does this mean I can have some peace and quiet to do some work?"  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"I guess so… The others are heading down to the Hangar Bay, and they'll be there for at least an hour… And I don't think Ace is ready for me to kick his ass again…"  
"Hey." Ace butted in, indignant. "I'll beat you. Not sure when, but I will. Especially if we just spar with Sky-Fu, and no blades. No one beats me at that…"  
"They said the same thing about you're sky-battles… then I came along and blew that reputation away…"  
"Oh yeah? Well…"

Piper sighed,  
"Okay guys. You have your little Sky-Fu battle, and I'm gonna try and get some work done. Try not to make too much noise… okay?" She left the room, and Ace turned to Aerrow.  
"I still say I'd win a sparring match…"  
"Well, Why don't we see?" Aerrow replied, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh… and by the way? You know you set the percentage record to 96 at the academy?"  
"Yeah?"  
"I got 98."  
"Really? How did the older pupils react to that?"  
"As you would expect. Jealous… Mad… Someone accidentally got their head jammed in a bucket when he tried to back me into a corner."  
"Accidentally?"  
"Kinda… Still wanna spar?" Aerrow's voice had an undercurrent of eagerness, and Ace shrugged.  
"Of course. That was some time ago… You may have lost you touch with the whole 'lack of training and no time for sky-dancing' thing…"  
"Ah well, you win some, you lose some. You win… I want a rematch… I win? I still want a rematch… "

The two of them moved into position, opposite each other. Leaving the customary three seconds before they started, they both began to move, subtly, around in a circle. A few seconds later, Ace's leg twitched, and Aerrow ducked to avoid the spinning kick Ace carried out whilst cartwheeling through the air. Springing upward, Aerrow flipped forwards, over Ace's head, and landed on his hands, using his feet to lash out at where Ace had been standing. He moved faster than anyone Aerrow had seen, and Aerrow had to flip over, backwards, to avoid the wrist that had been heading toward him. Launching himself to the side, avoiding another kick, Aerrow flipped forward, aiming a kick towards Ace's face. His arms blocked the attack, and Aerrow used them to spring backwards, out of reach.  
They both grinned, and Aerrow initiated the next interaction. He front flipped forward, and used the extra push off to do a corkscrew in the air. Lashing out with his hand, his fist was blocked by Ace's leg, as the other one whipped around missing Aerrow's face by inches. Twisting in the air, Aerrow used Ace's momentum to direct him around, and he launched a two footed kick towards his left side. Ace dodged it, and Aerrow landed, bending his knees to absorb the impact. He immediately sent his leg out in a circular sweep, which Ace dodged with a backflip, before landing I a crouch. They both got to their feet, simultaneously, and Ace launched himself forward, with a front flip, aiming to achieve a kick, but Aerrow spun around, lashing out with his foot in a roundhouse kick and missing Ace's back by a matter of milliseconds. Ace whipped back around, spinning his leg out in a low, circular arch, and causing Aerrow to spring backwards to avoid it. He landed in a crouch, and brought his arms up to deflect the kick aimed at him, then used this to his advantage by pushing up on Ace, the change in forces causing him to fly backwards. He brought the movement under control, however, and turned it into a backflip, landing upright.  
They both took a deep breath, clearing out their lungs, and Ace was about to move in again when the Condors speakers crackled.  
"Squadron of Elite Talons on attack vector. Twelve Nightcrawlers signatures also detected."

At the same time, they both turned and ran towards the door.  
"I thought you didn't get a chance to practice?" Ace said, as they left the room.  
"I don't. It's just instinctive most of the time…"  
"Well, there were some pretty impressive moves back there… Especially for a sixteen year old. Many of the masters themselves had difficulty with the forward spin from a still point."  
"Maybe it's because I'm young and springy… Old timer."  
"Hey!" Ace said, indignantly, as they entered the control room, "less of the old."  
Heading over to Stork, thy were joined by Piper.  
"I can't get a moments peace around here…" she complained, then "Where're Finn and Junko?"  
"I told them to remain in the Hangar Bay." Condora's voice explained, through the speakers. "It will most likely come to a fight, and it is pointless for them to come up here only to return."  
Storks voice came from the main console area,  
"Aha! So you aren't always optimistic. That wasn't optimism! 'It will most likely come to a fight'. If that wasn't the foreshadowing of doom, then what was it?"  
"A simple application of the facts and admissible data." Condor replied, then "Their current approach puts them at a two minute ETA to the Condor. Their current trajectory makes it highly likely that the Condor is their target."  
The three of them were already running out of the door when Stork spoke again,  
"That there was an admittance of the likelihood of our imminent danger and possible subsequent demise…"  
"And you just said 'possible'. Which is an example of optimism. You accept that we are not definitely doomed." Before Stork could respond to the outrageous claim that he was optimistic, Aerrow's voice echoed through the console,  
"Can we leave the bickering until we have got rid of these guys?" he asked.  
"Yes… That would be the most sensible way to react to our current predicament." Said Condors, but she still muttered, "See? He said get rid of. That's optimism."  
Aerrow sighed, then let a smile form. The Condors AI was optimistic? Well… That meant Stork was in for some interesting conversations…

Entering the Hangar Bay, he was stopped by Piper.  
"Are you sure you should be heading out? You aren't completely healed…"  
"I'll be fine Piper… Besides. Do you really think you can stop me from going out there?"  
She considered.  
"We could knock you out…?"  
Finns voice broke in,  
"Who's we? Come on Piper, let him go. We need to get moving."  
Aerrow kissed her on the cheek,  
"I'll be fine Pipes. Go sort out some more of those Night-Crawler Downing crystals you came up with. Condora should be able to fire them if Finn has any trouble…"  
She sighed, but nodded.  
"Fine… But you be careful. And Aerrow? I decided to call the crystals 'Night Stalkers'."  
Aerrow grinned.  
"I like it…"  
She ran from the Hangar, and Aerrow gestured to the others to go. He head to his ride and jumped on, revving it into life. Spinning it around, he head after the other, and took to the air anly a matter of second after them.  
"What's the ETA Stork?" he asked,  
"Twenty seconds. They should be coming into visual range…"  
Aerrow nodded as a group of fighters and Night-Crawlers came into view.  
"Yup… we see 'em Stork…"  
A bolt flew from his left and one of the Night-Crawlers fell from the air. Finn's whoop reached him and he grinned. Time to kick some Talon Ass…


	23. Chapter 23

Aerrow ducked a blast from a Night-Crawler, and saw a Crystal fly past him, from the Condor, colliding with its breastplate. Aerrow didn't see it fall, because he was already busy with two Talons. They were heading towards him, and were soon joined by two more, coming up behind them.  
He grinned, turning to Radarr,  
"We're going for a spin Radarr. Switch on my Mark."  
Radarr nodded, and Aerrow prepared to jump.  
"Okay… Switch!" He leapt onto the wing of his Ultra, at the exact moment that Radarr grabbed the controls. His momentum flipped the skimmer into a spin and he held out his blade. The four Talon rides had no time to pull out, and the blade connected with the wings of three of them and the under-body of the last. Pulling up out of the spin, Aerrow flipped back to his seat, which Radarr had vacated moments before and turned to see the results. The four fighters were falling, and four parachutes were visible. He grinned, and pulled his ride around. He ducked a blast from another fighter, but before he could retaliate, Finn had shot it the wings and it gave a series of sparks before plummeting from the sky. Two more followed suit seconds later, as Ace and Junko had teamed up to send two of Junko's small Turkey Burps flying towards them.  
A movement caught Aerrow's eye and he span out to avoid the Night-Crawler that had flung itself at him. Finn wasn't so lucky, and the Crawler landed on the front of his ride.  
Aerrow called for Radarr to switch, and leapt onto Finn's ride, just in time to block the Night-Crawlers blade from slicing Finns arm off. Finn ducked down as the two exchanged blows, and Aerrow managed to trip the creature up, sending it tumbling from the ride. Radarr pulled up alongside him, and Aerrow leapt back into his seat. He had just sat down when Ace flew past him, pursued by three Talons. Finn downed one, and Aerrow blasted another. Ace pulled back and caused the as to pull up, straight into Junko's fist. Ace pulled up alongside Aerrow.  
"Are your battles always this much fun?"  
Aerrow grinned, but Finn beat him to reply.  
"Sure. Getting blasted at. What's not to love?" He didn't notice the ball of energy shot at him, and Aerrow only managed to call out '_Lookout!'_ before it collided with Finns ride. All of the systems short circuited, and Finn jumped from his seat moments before the entire console exploded. His parachute burst open, and he gestured to the last few Talons.  
"You guys deal with them. You can pick me up later."

Aerrow realised that they were above a Terra, and that Finn should be fine. He head towards Junko, who was being circled by four of the six remaining rides, whilst Ace went to take care of the other two. Aerrow just managed to spot Ace, doing a three-sixty loop whilst firing at the rides, before he became focused on his own fight. Taking the two furthest from Junko, he used hi blades to shoot three shot at one of the rides. Two crashed the blasters and the last caught the join of the wing. Aerrow was already dealing with the other as the rider jumped from his doomed ride. A spanner thrown by Radarr combined with a swarm crystal from Aerrow had the rider out of his seat following his companion.  
Aerrow looked around to see that Jun had dealt with the two Talons that were left, and the crystals fired from the Condor had downed most of the Night-Crawlers, leaving four to retreat. He couldn't see Finn anywhere, however, and radioed into the Condor.  
"Guys? We're gonna head for the Terra below us. Better pick Finn up before he gets things to complain about…"  
"Um… Aerrow?" Storks voice echoed out over the speakers. "That is one of the most dangerous Terra's in the entire Far Side… It drains crystal energy as you pass through the fog in its skies… it contains some of the most dangerous animals ever… and there are strange savage people that inhabit it…"  
"I think," Piper butted in, "That what Stork is trying to say is that Finn is in trouble…"  
"Then we better find a way to get down there…" Aerrow replied already on course for the Condor, "And soon…"

**Not a very long chapter, but Im planning something for the next few chapters that will hopefully make up for it. Please comment to let me know how you guys are liking it!  
Hopefully uploading soon!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry for the HUGE delay with uploading. I have been soooooo busy...**  
**Ah well, Im going to try and get more longer chapters uploaded asap, so the next wait wont be as long, and the chapter will hopefully be much longer.**  
**Anyways, hope you enjoy, and please review and let me know what you think!  
Oh, and thanks to the more recent followers and favers... Thanks guys!  
_**

Finn hung from the branch of the tree, his parachute tangled in the branches, and scowled at the air. After trying to wriggle out, attempting to clamber onto a nearby branch and failing both of these, he was reluctant to unclip the harness. Knowing him, he would land flat on his face…  
After a few more minutes of dangling there, he eventually got fed up and decided what the hell.  
Jabbing at the harness on his back, he felt the chute pack disconnect and he only had time to say  
"Oh man…" before he was falling down. He managed to grasp hold of a branch, after being hit by countless clumps of leaves on the way down, and clung on, eyes squeezed shut. After a couple of seconds, realising he was no longer falling, he opened his eyes and looked down, seeing his feet dangling a mere five feet off the floor. Finn released the branch and landed in a crouch.  
He got to his feet, grinning to himself, and took a step forward. Immediately, a rope tightened around his ankle and he was swung upwards, upside down.  
Realising he had been caught in some kind of trap, he groaned again, crossing his arms- a tricky move for someone in his position- and blew the clump of hair out of his eyes that had yet to succumb to gravity.  
"Why is it always me…" he groaned, to the surrounding trees, and sighed, frowning, as he swung back and forth between branches.

Almost an hour later, by Finns count, after several failed attempts to untie himself, he heard rustling in the trees. Using his arms to swing him-self around, unaware of how ridiculous the move made him look, he spun just in time to see a ball of dark purple fur launch itself at him.  
He cried out, waving his arms wildly, as the creature scrambled down his leg, and yelped as it bit his calf. Then a voice called out.  
"Glitch! Stop biting him and get him down from there…"  
Before Finn could protest, the animal, Glitch, had bitten through the rope, and Finn tumbled to the ground. Of course, he had to get hit by a branch on the way down.  
He landed with his face in a pile of mud, and cursed as he got to his feet, wiping it away. He turned to see a girl, about his age, staring at him suspiciously.  
She was dressed in a tattered robe, which fell to just below her waist, and a pair of dark brown leggings, with boots the same colour. A belt, that clung to her hips, held three knives, which looked to be powered by some kind of electro Crystal, and two other knives were jammed into sheaths on her boots.  
Finn gave his most innocent grin,  
"Hi… My names Finn."  
"Arya... Why are you here?"  
The small creature that had bitten Finn hopped down from the tree and curled up on the girls shoulder. Finn's eyes widened.  
"Whoa… Your little friend looks just like a buddy of mine…"  
"Glitch? But her kind are only found on this Terra…"  
"Well… I'm not exactly from… here."  
"Of course not. Only a rookie would be caught in a trap like that."  
"No… I mean I'm from Atmos. Ya know? Beyond the veil and all that mystical stuff… Sharpshooter of the Storm Hawks, at your service…"  
Arya started, shocked.  
"Then you _are_ real!"  
"Well… I'm here, aren't I?"  
"Yes… But… You're _real_!"  
"Okay… This conversation is going in circles… Err, What Terra is this?"  
"Terra Amazonia…" Arya seemed to be getting over her initial shock at Finn's appearance and subsequent identity revelation, and realised that the blond haired guy in front of her looked clueless.  
"Right…" Finn looked around him, and realised that that name didn't help him in the slightest. "Anything else you can tell me?"  
"Like what?"  
"Who lives here? What life is like?" A roar ripped through the forest, and Finn gulped, "What kind of creatures inhabit the Terra…?"  
"Oh… I could do that. Or we quickly climb a tree before we are eaten by a herd of Tigrans…"  
"Tigrans?"  
"Very fast, and ferocious, carnivorous animals about the same size as us… With sharp claws, a venomous bite, fangs and very good camouflage…"  
"… Trees it is."

Arya nimbly clambered up the nearest truck, using notches in the bark to aid her, and Glitch was a few feet behind her. Finn attempted to replicate her movements, but he was nowhere near as graceful, and his hair was sticking up everywhere when he finally reached the branch she was sat on.  
"You don't climb much… Do you?" she asked, taking in his appearance, and he shrugged.  
"Nope… Too busy fighting the forces of evil… Anyway, about these '_Tigrans_'?"  
"It's almost dusk. That's when they hunt. It would be safer for us to remain up here than to trek back to the cave…"  
"Cave?"  
"Where I live… My village… I don't really get along with… any of them."  
"What about parents?"  
"They died… Saaron attack several years ago. I was ten then. I lived with my aunt for three years afterwards, but… we fell out. I've spent the last, well, almost four years, on my own."  
Finn raised his eyebrows, and stretched out against the trunk of the tree, making himself comfortable.  
"Right... That didn't _really_ help with the whole _understanding_ thing... I think you're going to have to start from the beginning…"  
Glitch curled around Arya's shoulder, and Finn was struck by how the little creature looked just like Radarr. Right down to the patterns on her back... aside from the purple colouring of course.  
"Why do you wanna know?"  
"Well… We are obviously going to be here for a few hours, or until my friends find me, so I need some way to fill the time."  
"Your friends? They'll have a hard time of it. Crystals don't work in the skies above Amazonia…"  
"They'll find a way down here…" Finn looked sure of himself, and Arya smiled, wishing she had such security in her life... Finn continued.  
"How about this? You tell me your story, and I'll tell you mine."  
Arya considered, then shrugged.  
"Why not…"  
She was quiet for a few moments, and then sighed.  
"Okay, here goes. When I was a child…"  
_

Aerrow slumped down in the chair, frustrated, Radarr curled around his shoulder. They had been looking at the maps of Amazonia for hours… Atmos knows what could have happened to Finn, with all the creatures that inhabited the Terra…  
Piper was still figuring out a way to use the binding to allow their crystals to work over Amazonia, but Aerrow was all for the free fall through the clouds and using backup crystals when they got nearer the Terra's surface. Ace had thought the plan was a good one, but the incredulous looks from the rest of the team had them backtracking.  
They had figured out where Finn was likely to have landed, and hoped he hadn't, as Piper put it, '_Wandered off like the idiot he is…'  
_Piper had left to try something half an hour ago, leaving Stork to take the Condor off of Auto Pilot out of boredom, and the other three to sit there, tapping fingers on the table.

It was another ten minutes before Piper rushed in again, excited.  
"I've got it. Crystals won't work in the clouds, but I can levitate things down through them I tried it with a couple of rocks."  
"Rocks?" Aerrow raised an eyebrow.  
"It works in theory…" Piper defended, then sat next to him. "I'd have to stay here, but I can get you down fine. It'll take me a while to get my energy levels back up after each pass though…"  
"You sure you can do it? It would be draining to control a drop over such a distance…" Ace said, then shrugged at Aerrow's questioning gaze. "Cyclonis had trouble with the binding as well, at first. It took her months to master the basic techniques."  
"I can do it," Piper assured him, "It becomes easier with better attunement…" she glanced, shyly, at Aerrow, who returned the smile.  
"So… Looks like I'm going first then…"

Half an hour later, and Piper, Aerrow, Ace and Junko were stood on the Condor's runway. Aerrow was going to be the first to try it, as it would take less energy from Piper, considering that they were 'perfectly attuned'. And he could easily activate his glider once they were below the cloud line. It wasn't a good idea to use in Zero Vis… He was also going to carry Radarr, as the more trips Piper carried out, the more he was going to worry about her.  
Before Piper could start however, Aerrow moved closer to her, speaking quietly,  
"Piper… Are you sure about this? After what you went through in that cavern… I know you say you are okay but…"  
"I'll be fine Aerrow. You don't need to worry about me…"  
"But I do worry about you."  
"I fine. There were no after effects of the crystal… surges." Aerrow sensed her slight hesitation and felt his anger at Cyclonis returning to the surface. Shoving it down, he spoke again.  
"Maybe not physically… Damn it, I just wish I could keep you safe…"  
"We both know that's not going to happen. And anyway, If I'm with you, how could I be any safer?"  
"But Pipes…"  
"Aerrow, I'm fine. I can do this." She kissed him, lightly, and he pulled her into a hug. "Keep Safe…"  
"Always." he responded, with a grin, still worried about her, but before he could do anything, Piper nudged him forwards. Radarr clambered up onto his shoulder, and Aerrow made sure he was in a position that wouldn't hinder his glider. After he had checked that, and his other equipment, he nodded to Piper, and felt the familiar warmth associated with the binding .Feeling an energy fill him, he smiled at Piper, who nodded, returning the smile, gave the others a quick salute and did a backflip off the edge of the runway.  
He was in free-fall for a few moments, Radarr clinging to his neck, ears covering his eyes, before he fully caught himself and adjusted his stance so that he was falling less rapidly. Within seconds, he was falling through clouds, but it was only a few moments before he was in clear skies again. Glancing down at his crystal gauge, he was pleased to find that the crystals were still working, now that he had passed below the cloud line, and he activated his com link.  
"Guys?"  
"Aerrow!" Junko's voice. "It's working?"  
"Perfectly. Crystals are at full strength below the cloud line. Piper? I'm going to drop the connection. It'll be easier to navigate with the glider…"  
"Okay… Tell me when…" Piper's voice held a slight strain, and Aerrow cursed inside his head. It was obviously taking a lot out of her.  
"Okay Pipes… Now!"  
He felt the connection sever just as the wings of his glider shot out, and he changed the angle of his descent. A few minutes later, after dodging the higher branches, he retracted the wings and jumped onto a branch. Radarr leapt down next to him, dizzy for a few seconds until he got his bearings, then he chirped to Aerrow, and leapt down onto the branch below. Aerrow grinned, and copied the action. He leapt down the tree, jumping from branch to branch, and gripped the last one, swinging around before flipping into the air and landing in a crouch on the ground.  
He was suddenly reminded of the time he and Radarr had broken out of Zartacla Prison. The thought made him smile, and he got out his com-link again.  
"I'm down… I'm going to head out. You've got the crystal trackers…?"  
Ace's voice came through.  
"Yeah. Just keep close to Radarr and the tracking crystal. I'll follow you when I'm down."  
"You got it…"  
Aerrow turned off the link and attached it to the clip on his waist. Now, staring around him at the identical looking jungle, he was faced with another problem.  
Where on earth should he start searching…?_  
_


	25. Chapter 25

Aerrow sighed. He'd been traipsing through the jungle foliage for almost three hours, Ace and Junko having joined him and subsequently paired off to cover more ground.  
And night was falling.  
He scanned again with the residual energy crystal detector, and, after picking up on nothing but his own crystals energy, decided to call it in, heading back to the rendezvous point.  
He had just started back when he heard a huge crash echo through the skies, and saw a series of small explosions through the small gaps in the canopy.  
Immediately, Radarr clinging to his shoulder, he leapt up to the nearest tree and clambered agilely, to the top.  
As he reached the top, he wasn't sure whether to curse of be thankful as he saw a huge cruiser, obviously Cyclonian from the huge emblem, leaking vast amounts of crystal energy in the clouds, emitting huge explosions and trails of smoke.  
As the cruiser fell towards the ground, Aerrow saw dozens of people abandoning the ship, many on rides but a few with chutes, who were quickly picked up by their comrades. Now that they were all below the cloud layer, the crystals seemed to be working fine, as were their rides.  
That's when Aerrow started to worry. What on Earth could they be doing here?  
"Piper?!" he nearly shouted through the comlink, and she hastily replied.  
"Aerrow?"  
"A Cyclonian cruiser just fell through the clouds. Leaking crystal energy and obviously out of commission. Did you notice it on the Condor?"  
"No… Condora picked up traces of crystal energy, but we couldn't see anything…"  
"Shielding crystals again?" Aerrow asked, thinking back to the time that they had had to fight invisible Cyclonian fighters, having to resort to feathers and porridge to see them.  
"Must be… I'll get Condora to scan the energy we picked up in more detail. What do you think they were here for?"  
"I don't know, but there are at least a few dozen fighters… Ace? Junko? You get that?"  
"Cyclonian fighters on the Terra," Junko's voice said, through the link, "We got it. Couldn't see what the commotion was about, so Ace decided to try and climb a tree…"  
"Try?" Ace's voice said, echoing over Junko's voice, "Love the fact you have so much faith in me…"  
"Well I'm just saying…" Juno said, "after those carnivorous Venus flytraps…"  
"Junko? Focus. It's getting dark, so I think we should rendezvous and restart in the morning."  
"You got it. It'll take us an hour to reach the crystal relay though…"  
"About the same here… But watch out for these huge purple flowers. They don't take kindly to having their roots stepped on…"  
Junko ended the transmission, as did Ace, and Aerrow sent another message to Piper.  
"We're heading back to rendezvous. It's getting too dark to see anything… Hopefully Finn will be fine on his own till morning."  
"He'll be fine. You know what Finn's like."  
"That's what I'm worried about. Keep an eye out, you guys. Someone will be coming to check out what happened to the cruiser…"  
"You got it. You guys be careful."  
"Aren't we always?"  
Piper gave an exasperated sigh, then said goodbye, disconnecting the link.  
Aerrow grinned, clipping his own to his belt, and starting to make his way down the tree. That's when he noticed he couldn't find Radarr.

Finn couldn't believe what Arya had told him. Hence his attempt to clarify and sum up.  
"So, you're saying that, since your parents died, you have been looked after by your aunt, who has beaten and abused you, so you spend most of your time away in the jungle, learning about dangerous creatures for the sake of it?"  
Arya nodded,  
"Yes."  
Finn shook his head,  
"And I thought my life was hard… Beating up the bad guys, leaving my home, my family… But at least I was with my friends. And have a family… You don't seem to have anyone…"  
"I have Glitch."  
Finn grinned,  
"And now you have me…"  
Arya gave him a wry smile,  
"How thrilling," she said, in a jokingly sarcastic way. Then she frowned, looking around.  
"Hand on... Where _is_ Glitch?"  
Finn frowned too, realising that the little purple sky monkey wasn't there, and got to his feet, holding a branch for support. Arya swiftly got to her own feet, not needing to hold on to anything, and called out.  
"Glitch!"

Not too far away, a now very worried Aerrow was, having sent a message to the other two and unwilling to jump to the floor, leaping from tree to tree, swinging between the branches.  
"Radarr! Where are you buddy?"  
He slid to a halt, grabbing a branch, as he heard an answering chirp. Changing course, he leapt to another tree, then froze, as he saw Radarr and another creature that looked just like him, chattering away.  
It was at that moment that another person burst through the leaves, stumbling to a halt at the sight and then looking up to Aerrow.  
The girl looked at him, then at the two chattering creatures, then at him again, and grinned a little.  
"Aerrow, Right? Finn was talking about you… Is that Radarr?"  
"Err… yeah." Aerrow quickly got over his surprise at being addressed by the girl and blinked,  
"Hang on. Finn? Is he okay?"  
"He's fine… Now. Just a little slow at climbing."  
Just then, a blonde head poked through the leaves, and Aerrow laughed in relief, helping his friend up.  
"Damn it Finn, we were worried. You okay?"  
"Yeah, Arya found me… Oh, sorry, Aerrow, this is Arya. She lives on the Terra."  
Then his eyes flicked to the two, obviously conversing, sky monkeys, and grinned.  
"Hey, looks like Radarr and Glitch have hit it off!"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Radarr and Glitch? What are the chances..." he held his hand out to Arya, who took it, grinning.  
"Nice to meet you, Arya... Thanks for keeping an eye on Finn..."  
"No trouble at all..."  
"So you live on the Terra?"  
"In a manner of speaking..."  
Aerrow raised an eyebrow, and Arya shrugged, grinning ruefully.  
"Don't ask... So, are you the only one here?"  
"No... Two other members of my team are here... speaking of which..." He pulled his com-link out and activated it. "Hey guys? I'm with Finn... and he found a friend... well, two. I'll activate a tracker so you can find us."  
"You got it!" Came Junko's voice, and Finn grinned, snatching the com-link away.  
"Hey buddy!"  
"Hey Finn! You guys okay?"  
"Yep. Just watching Radarr and his new playmate chatting..."  
"Playmate?"  
"Ah, you'll see when you get here."  
"Yeah. We're just on our way. Ace activated the tracker, and we're following the signal now."  
Aerrow tugged the link back, rolling his eyes at the indignant _'hey'_ from Finn, and spoke up.  
"Glad to hear it. Keep an eye out for those damned carnivorous flytraps though..."  
"You don't need to tell us that!" came Ace's voice, and Aerrow grinned.  
"Aww, has someone had trouble with a big bad plant?"  
"You try being half eaten and see how you feel!"  
"Nah, Don't really fancy it... that slime you described being covered in sounded nasty..."  
"Nasty..." Ace scoffed and Junko's laugh echoed through the link.  
"That's a bit of an understatement, Aerrow... The smell..."  
"Oi! You don't smell so great yourself..." Ace butted in, and Aerrow rolled his eyes. For someone who was meant to be older than them, he sure didn't act it sometimes... Then again, with Stork as comparison...  
"Just try and get here in one piece? Then we can rest the night and contact piper in the morning to get out of here..."  
"You got it!"  
The link went dead and Aerrow clipped it back in, turning to see Finn looking rather sheepish and clasping his hands behind his back.  
"Uhm... Aerrow? Can I talk to you for a second?"  
"Sure Finn, what's up?"  
"It's just... err... Can we talk over here...?"  
Aerrow followed Finn over to another section of the mesh of branches and leant against the trunk, arms folded.  
"What is it?"  
"Well... It's about Arya... I was wondering if we could have a new team member? Well, two..."  
Aerrow sighed, nodding.  
"Okay, start explaining..."  
_

**Wow, I am sooooo sorry for the delay in updating. I have had so much going on with other fanfics and college work that it's all just been.. Well, Gah...**  
**Hopefully be updating again soon...**  
**Anyways, sorry it's short, but hope you guys liked it...**


	26. Chapter 26

Aerrow was sat, thinking through what Finn had said.  
He'd told him about how Arya was cast out from her own people... had nowhere to go...  
Aerrow sighed. She was clearly brave, resourceful and would make a great member of the Storm Hawks... But he wasn't sure how he felt about taking someone from the place they had grown up...  
Finn had long since settled down himself, next to Arya, and the two were quietly chatting away.  
Aerrow sighed again.  
It would also be good for Finn... To have another friend. His story about missing his brother still made Aerrow feel terrible, even though he knew there was nothing he could do about it.  
With that thought in mind, he cleared his throat.  
"Arya? Can I talk to you for a minute, please?"  
"Sure..." She deftly made her way over and swung down to sit next to him. "What is it?"  
"Finn told me about how you're living at the moment... and about how he would like you to become a member of the team. What I'm trying to say is, if you want to, I'd be happy to have you as part of my squadron...?"  
She blinked, shocked.  
"P-part of... your... As in, leaving here?"  
"Of course, you don't have to. I was just-"  
"I'd love that... More than anything!" Her excitement dimmed somewhat as she thought of something. "But... what about the rest of your team?"  
"They won't mind. We can get you a room set up. I'm sure Piper would be glad to have another girl around... And Radarr normally just sleeps wherever, whenever, but it would be no problem to set something up for Glitch-"  
"She's always slept with me... Habit I guess. I rescued her as a baby and she's just stuck by me ever since."  
"Similar story with Radarr. On an outing and I saw some traders trying to throw him in a cage. Managed to sneak him away and he hasn't left my side since. So... Is that a yes? If you don't like it, we can always bring you back and-"  
The rest of what he was trying to say was cut off as she squeezed him into a hug.  
"Yes! Thank you... You have no idea how much this means to me! Finn!" She ran back over and pulled him into a hug too, "He's letting me stay!"  
Finn gave a whoop, and shot Aerrow a grateful look, making Aerrow shrug.  
Suddenly, a giant, horned head popped out from the foliage.

"Aerrow," Junko said, once he and Ace had made their way up, "What the hell is going on?"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Long story short, the girl is called Arya, She met Finn when he landed on the Terra and kept the idiot from getting himself hurt. In return, and considering she has no family and has been living on her own for the past few years, She is going to be coming back with us to the Condor for an open ended visit. Honourary member of the Storm Hawks."  
Junko shrugged.  
"Cool, I'm gonna go talk to her." That plan was waylaid as Finn caught sight of him and the wallop pulled him into a rib crushing hug before the blonde started introducing Arya.  
Ace grinned as he slouched against the tree trunk.  
"Seems like you'll have yourself an army by the end of the month if you keep this recruitment schedule up."  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"I didn't really have much of a choice. I couldn't very well say no after everything she's done for Finn, and knowing what she goes through all the time. Plus, she's great with navigation, from what I can tell anyway, and it'll be good for Piper to have someone to talk to."  
"And who's the little sky monkey that Radarr seems to be friendly with?"  
"Her names Glitch."  
"Radarr and Glitch? What are the chances of that..."  
Finn burst out laughing as he heard those words.  
"You know, Aerrow said the exact same thing... So... when are we heading back to the Condor?"  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"In the morning. I don't want to risk doing anything tonight."  
Arya spoke up.  
"There's a cave not too far from here? I normally sleep there and... Anyway, it's safer than where we are at the moment."  
Aerrow nodded, feeling a deep seated sorrow for Arya, who must have had a very hard few years, and gestured for her to take the lead.  
"Sounds good to me."  
Aerrow was quite impressed when Arya didn't react to the crystal that made up part of Ace's face, simply blinking and carrying on.  
The girl really was something.

Twenty minutes later and they were all settled in a small cave, which was protected very well from the outside and was very well insulated.  
Aerrow insisted on taking first watch, and Ace said he'd join him, leaving the others to sleep.  
They were silent for a while, before Aerrow spoke up.  
"So... How did you and Junko get on today?"  
"Fine. Carnivorous flytraps, giant purple rats and trees that seemed to like to dribble on you... Worryingly, not the strangest day I've had... You've got a hell of a, what was it now... Heavy ballistics engineer?"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Made up the title, but it seemed to fit..."  
"Yeah, I can see why... For one thing, he can go through things, and doesn't have to go around them. It's rather impressive."  
"He once started the signal beacon on Terra Glockstoppia single-handedly."  
"That time when Ravess and Snipe tried to take it over?"  
"Yeah. Finn lost his knuckle dusters, and we had a hell of a time convincing him that he didn't need them. Took a pair of glowing gloves and Snipe calling him a gleep-"  
"Oh, that's what it was. I was wondering why Snipe was trapped in a spring when the rest of us arrived. It was a rather amusing sight if I'm honest..."  
"Looked better from inside the clock. Snipe shaped hole in the wall and everything..."  
"Yeah, I saw that. Ravess kept on to him about it for weeks. Oh, and I heard something about a Storm Hawk holding up a ship around about then...?"  
"Yep, that was Junko."  
"Well, I have to say, you've done some very impressive things over the last couple of years. I couldn't help but be impressed when I heard you made it out of the Great Expanse... You and your team seem to have a knack for setting records and becoming the first to get things done. Air speed record... Great Expanse... Forbidden city... Escaping from Zartacla-"  
"One of the best days of my life."  
"One of the Wardens worst... I was always secretly rather impressed though..."  
"Really? I thought you hated us."  
"Well... that too, but it was impressive." Ace grinned and Aerrow returned the gesture, as Ace continued.  
"And there was the time you took down the Talon Academy. I have to admit, it felt nice seeing Snipe have his ass handed back to him... again."  
"Why do I get the feeling you never got along with any of them?"  
"Because I didn't. Something always felt out of place... And they could never get anything right... It got very... frustrating."  
"Frustrating?"  
"That's one word for it. It's one of the reasons I'm so impressed with your squadron. Even the older squadrons would have been unable to do some of the things you guys have done."  
"Try telling the council that. I swear it was only as we started the first full attack on Cyclonia that many of them took us seriously. Though I think that most of the other squads started doing so a bit before that."  
"I'll bet you're in for a hell of a welcome back party when you get back to Atmos."  
"If we get back... And we aren't planning on trying until we've got rid of Cyclonis..."  
"And that doesn't surprise me in the least. And I hope I'm there to see the smug grin wiped off that arrogant witch's face..."  
"Hey, we can make a thing of it. Group outing. We'll get flame corn and everything."  
"Sounds good to me."

They were quiet after that, but it was a comfortable silence.  
Half an hour later, Radarr crept up and curled up next to Aerrow, who was leaning against the side of the cave, and nestled into his side.  
Aerrow stifled a yawn, but Ace noticed.  
"You'd better get some sleep too. After what you've been through the last few days, you need it."  
"But I-"  
"Need to sleep and are going to. I can keep watch."  
"But..." Aerrow stifled another yawn and realised Ace was right. "Okay then, but wake me in a few hours..."  
Aerrow yawned again as he leant back against the dent in the rock and nodded off, leaving Radarr to twist in closer.  
Ace sighed as he got into a more comfortable position, and watched Aerrow.  
To think that, a month ago, he had had no idea who he was. Heck, he had tried to kill him. Now the young Sky-knight was trusting him to keep watch. He'd never thought he would be able to make up for what he'd done, but obviously he was doing something right.  
Ace suddenly felt a surge of a protective instinct come over him, as well as a rush of affection for the brother he had never known. He was a great kid... no, young man by the standards of the Far Side.  
And he was determined to make up for everything he had done over the last fifteen years... He owed him that much.

The following Morning, Aerrow was up before the others and blinked, before realising that Ace had been up all night.  
"I told you to wake me..." he scowled, and Ace shrugged.  
"I wasn't tired anyway. I don't sleep much... Better get the others up and contact Piper."  
Aerrow was still grumbling under his breath as he roused Finn and Junko, Arya already having woken at the commotion, and activated the com-link, pleased to find the receiving signal on green, showing someone was on the other end.  
"Aerrow to the Condor..."  
"Hey Aerrow." Pipers voice chimed through the link and made him grin, causing Ace and Finn to share a smirk, which he scowled at, "About time you got in touch. You ready to go?"  
"Yes, but we're gonna have two more people... Well, a person and a sky-monkey..."  
"Sky-monk- You know what? Don't tell me. Let's just make it a nice pleasant surprise."  
"You got it, Pipes."  
"Right... Anyway, I've figured out the best way to get this done. If you glide up past the cloud layer, I can channel the energy through you to give the others a temporary ability to fly. They can get above the cloud layer and Stork can drop the Condor low enough to pick you all up."  
"Great plan, Pipes. It's gonna take a lot of energy though..."  
"Not if Ace can glide up, with one of the others... Maybe Radarr? Then I won't have so much to do. And this way is faster than you flying everyone up with loads of trips."  
Ace nodded.  
"She's right. And it's no problem."  
"Yeah, that's fine." Aerrow relayed, "As long as you're sure..."  
"Good, then we can move as soon as you guys are ready."  
"Okay, give us a few minutes then I'll link you when I'm about to set off."  
"You got it..."

They all head out of the cave, and Aerrow lagged behind a bit with Arya.  
"You okay?"  
She nodded.  
"There's nothing for me here. You have no idea how much this means to me... I mean, it seems like a dream..."  
Finn sauntered over and heard her last words.  
"That's 'cause I'm in it. I make everything a dreamland..."  
"I think Pier would disagree with that, Finn..." Junko called over, and Finn shrugged.  
"That's 'cause she's got no taste... No offense Aerrow."  
"None taken. Now stop messing about and move it."  
"Yes Boss..."  
Aerrow rolled his eyes at the mock salute, before giving him a shove forward.  
"Stop being a smartass, or I'll get Stork to hide all of your music records..."  
Finn blanched, then virtually legged it forward.  
"I'm going, I'm going."  
They reached the small precipice where the cave entrance was located, and Aerrow lowered Radarr to the ground, happy to feel wind whipping across his face.  
"Good conditions for flying..." he said, and Ace nodded.  
"Perfect... Haven't seen any this good for some time."  
"Then let's make the most of them," Aerrow said grinning, before he took out his com-link.  
"Okay Pipes, I'm ready to go..."  
"Okay, tell me when you're above the cloud layer and I'll scan out to sense you."  
"You got it."  
With that, Aerrow replaced the link and took a few steps back. Ace rolled his eyes, turning to Finn.  
"Tell me he's not going to-" Aerrow gave a whoop as he ran forward and leapt off the side of the cliff-face, with a somersault. "Never mind..."  
Aerrow sped back up past them on a gust of wind, corkscrewing in the air, before he set course for the clouds.  
He was soon out of sight, and Ace decided that it would probably be best if he and Radarr waited to make sure the other's got off the Terra okay before they left.

Aerrow was grinning madly as he flew through the air, the wind blowing through his hair.  
He loved the thrill and freedom he got whilst flying. The feelings were doubled when he was gliding. But, as much as he wanted to spend the next hour cart-wheeling through the air, he had a job to do.  
He reached the cloud layer and felt the light thrum of energy around him, that he was used to ignoring and taking for granted, cease momentarily. Then he was through and the reassuring background noise was back.  
He flicked on the com-link.  
"I'm in position Piper. Whenever you're ready..."  
It was only a matter of seconds before Aerrow was engulfed in a green light. He grinned before scanning where he had just left and picking up the others with the enhanced state the crystals gave him. He focused in on Junko, and immediately felt him embrace the energy, lifting him into the air.  
Aerrow position so close to the clouds meant he could act as a safe conduit for the crystal power, and Junko was swiftly brought into sight. A few moments later, the Condor appeared and Aerrow set him on the runway, immediately focusing on Arya.  
At the same time, he focused on Glitch, and the two rose together.  
They were in sight within half a minute, and Aerrow landed them in the same place as Junko, trusting that he would explain to Piper what was going on.  
Then he reached out for Finn, and within minutes, he was with the others on the Condor.  
Aerrow left the connection to sever, then decided that, instead of flying directly to the Condor, he would have a little fun.  
The others all watched as he flew past the runway, spinning in the air and looping in all directions and laughed as they saw Ace coming up through the clouds and nearly collide with him.  
Radarr jumped t Aerrow's back, and he slowed his acrobatics, coming to land on the runway, his glider retracting as he landed, knees bent, on the metal  
Ace landed a few moments later, and was laughing.  
"Nice moves... But next time, try not to knock me out of the sky?"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Sorry... Must be force of habit..."  
Before Ace could respond to that, Piper had pulled Aerrow into a hug, which he was quick to reciprocate.  
As she pulled away, Aerrow gestured to Arya.  
"So... New squad members... What do you think?"  
"I like her... Well, from what I can tell. I'm sure we'll get along fine. Finn's already roped me into setting up a room for her, now that he's sure that she won't turn out to be some evil psychopath."  
"Ah well, At least I know she'll be well looked after. Atmos forbid Finn is left to do the decorating..."  
"Ah well, we can get it done today. It can be ready for tonight. Oh, and Condora has located a Terra that is actually quiet and peaceful. Stork was hoping to stay there for a few days, letting everyone catch their breaths before we dive back into 'Catching Cyclonis' mode."  
Aerrow nodded.  
"Sounds good to me... "  
"Sounded good to Finn too..."  
"No surprises there then."  
Piper giggled, and Aerrow grinned, kissing her lightly.  
"We'd better get a move on then. I'll go tell Stork to set a course and let you guys get acquainted."

Aerrow left Arya talking animatedly with Piper and Finn, Ace and Junko having head off to the kitchens, and jogged up to the control room.  
"Hey Stork, why don't you set a course for that Terra you were on about. We can all do with a few days rest."  
Stork gave a huge grin, and saluted.  
"Yes Boss... Right away boss."  
Aerrow grinned and head out to the balcony, leaning against the railing, relishing the feeling of the wind.  
Half an hour later, he made his way back inside and head down to the kitchens, made himself a quick sandwich and head to find the others.  
They were all mucking out the room next to Finns, at the end of the corridor opposite Piper's room, and sorting it through for Arya, who looked completely overwhelmed by it all, even if in a good way.  
Aerrow joined in and within the hour, the room was done.  
Three walls were painted a light blue, with a white wash on the fourth, and it made the room seem much bigger and more open than it actually was.  
The guys left Piper and Arya to chat and sort things out, and head up to the hangar bay.  
Aerrow was keen to make the most of the weather and great air currents, and the others were more than happy to oblige.  
Ace had blinked at their idea of training though.  
"Aerial keep-away? Really?"  
"Works for us..." Aerrow said, grinning as he recalled having the same conversation with Starling, and Ace shrugged.  
"Then who am I to argue..."

They spent the next hour playing the game, and teaming up in different combinations.  
It took all of two minutes for them to realise that Ace, Radarr and Aerrow vs Junko and Finn was not really a game, and they spent most of the time with Aerrow, Radarr and Finn on one team and Ace and Junko on the other.  
As they arrived back in the hangar bay, Aerrow grinned at Finn.  
"You know, one of us is gonna have to teach Arya to ride. I'm sure Junko will teach her engineering and stuff, Piper will go for the crystals and navigation and me and Ace can do weapons, so that leaves you for training her to ride. Reckon you can do that? You know she sounded really eager to get started."  
Finn nodded grinning,  
"This is gonna be great."  
Junko snorted.  
"To quote Stork, we're all doomed..."  
The others laughed at the indignant look on Finn's face, and they all head off to the console room, where Stork greeted them with the news that they would be at the Terra within the next hour.  
Aerrow slouched into a chair and put his feet on the table, leaning back, arms behind his head, and made himself comfortable. When no alarms blared or alerts beeped, he grinned. Maybe Finn was right. Maybe this _was _gonna be great...  
Then he cursed. He hoped he hadn't jinxed it...  
_

**Next couple of chapters are gonna be full of more fun and bonding and bromance and fluff and god knows what, because I think I've had enough action for a while. Don't worry, I'll burst right back with full on battle style stuff before long :D**

**Please review and let me know what you think!  
Till next Time, Raven Out xx**


	27. Chapter 27

**Warning, Fluff. Much Fluff... In more ways than one :D :D  
Enjoy!  
_**

_Piper was running... She wasn't sure why, but it was dark... and cold... and it hurt. She'd been running for so long... Then she heard a cry and froze.  
"Aerrow!" She started running again, hearing Aerrow's voice over and over, calling her name.  
It went on... and on... and she stopped, curling herself up into a ball... she couldn't...  
"Piper!"  
"Aerrow!"  
"Piper!"_

Piper opened her eyes to see a pair of startlingly green ones staring back, filled with worry.  
"Piper?"  
"A-Aerrow...?"  
"Yeah, I'm here... It was just a nightmare Sweetheart... You're safe..."  
"It was so... I heard you and... I couldn't..."  
She broke off as she gave a choked sob, and Aerrow sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her into his arms.  
"It's okay Pipes... Shh... It's okay..."  
Gradually, she managed to slow her tears, and looked up.  
"Sorry..."  
"Hey, there's nothing to be sorry for."  
"But I woke you up..."  
"No. Something told me you needed me... I came in to find you curled up, shivering and muttering my name..."  
"I-I dreamed that I was running and it was dark... and it hurt, and I heard your voice but couldn't reach it..."  
"See. That's how you can know it was only a nightmare... Because I'd never leave you."  
He gave her a smile, and she felt herself returning it, the fear and panic from her nightmare fading away as he pulled her into a hug.  
She nestled her head on his shoulder, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. After a while, he pulled back a little.  
"You need to sleep Pipes... Do you want me to stay?"  
Piper smiled. Aerrow hadn't stayed with her because of a nightmare for years... But she always felt safe with him.  
She nodded.  
"Yes... You don't mind?"  
"Of course not... scooch over..."  
She shuffled closer to the wall and Aerrow lay down next to her, wrapping her in his arms.  
He kissed her neck.  
"Feel better?"  
"Yeah..."  
She was already drifting back off, feeling safe and warm in Aerrow's arms. She felt him move slightly and lean against the back wall, still holding her, and let herself drift back to sleep, secure in the knowledge that she wouldn't have any more nightmares tonight...

Piper opened her eyes and yawned.  
She felt someone stir next to her, and turned to see Aerrow, still asleep, laying on the edge of the bed, one of his arms still around her shoulders and the other resting on his chest.  
She carefully moved and sat up, stretching, and grinned as Aerrow blinked awake, yawning.  
She felt a slight flush as she saw him run a hand through his scruffy hair as he sat up. He gave her a concerned look.  
"You okay Pipes?"  
She grinned, kissing him lightly and rolling over him to plant her feet on the floor.  
"Yeah... I'm fine now. Thanks..."  
He grinned as he got to his feet, stretching.  
"It's fine... You're bed seems comfier than mine. Though that maybe because of the company..."  
She flushed and Aerrow grinned, pulling her to her feet.  
"I'm joking, I'm joking... Come on, let's grab something to eat. We're gonna wanna make the most of the few days break we're getting."

They had arrived at the Terra late the previous afternoon, and they had all been keen to have a chance to relax.  
Finn and Arya were planning on visiting the lake they'd seen, to spend some time messing about, then Finn was going to start teaching her to fly. Junko was going to spend the day sampling the different fruit trees they'd found, and Ace had decided to tag along, along with Stork, who had wanted to see how deadly these new plants could be. Aerrow grinned. Those two were really getting along well with Ace.  
In the evening, Aerrow was planning on giving Arya some basic weapon instruction, though it was apparent she wouldn't need much.  
That left him with a whole day and, seeing as Piper wanted to go exploring, he had chosen to join her.  
As they entered the kitchen, they realised it was quite late in the morning, compared to when they normally woke up, and Aerrow scanned a note from Finn.

_Aerrow  
Me and Arya are heading out. The others have already gone. We didn't want to disturb you, but we're all gonna check in with Condora every couple of hours just incase.  
See you later  
Finn._

Aerrow grinned, and as Piper got them something to eat, he grabbed a backpack and started packing some more food.  
Piper raised an eyebrow and he grinned.  
"We've got the whole day. May as well use it... Haven't had a picnic in some time anyway..."  
She grinned, handing him a slice of sweet bread, topped with jam.  
"Best idea I've heard all day..."  
"First idea you've heard all day..." he corrected, and she rolled her eyes.  
"Stop being a smartass..."  
"I thought it was part of my charm?"  
"You have enough damn charm... Too much."  
"Oh... should I just drop it then? Aerrow said, mock pouting, and Piper laughed as she pecked him n the cheek, heading out.  
"You couldn't if you tried. You're charm personified."  
"Good thing or bad thing?"  
"Good. Definitely good."  
"Oh, in that case..."  
He pulled her in a circle and lowered her down, giving her a long kiss. When he lifted her upright, she was laughing.  
"I thought you wanted to get outside today?"  
"As long as I'm with you, I don't care where I am..."  
Piper flushed, and grinned.  
"Even traipsing around a Terra all day?"  
"Yup... Wait... all day? Traipsing?"

Three hours later, and Aerrow was grinning as he lifted Piper down from his ride, swinging her around.  
The plateaux had captured Piper's interest, and Aerrow could tell she would love to see the view.  
They had spent the last few hours tracking the different crystal signature Piper had found, and she had found several different types that she had taken samples of.  
Those were now left, forgotten, in a bag, as Piper took in the top of the plateaux.  
It was larger than they had first thought, and grass covered the entire surface, aside from a small pool with a few trees around it. Flowers in all shades of colours were dotted around, and Piper grinned as Aerrow sank down against the foot of one of the trees, arms behind his head.  
"Bout time we had a break... That is what these few days are about, you know..."  
Piper rolled her eyes as she sat next to him, and shrugged.  
"Quit complaining... Honestly, you guys are all the same..."  
"So wait... I'm like Finn!?" Aerrow gave an overly dramatic gasp, jumping to his feet, but tripped over Piper's foot, and went tumbling into the small pool.  
He surfaced again soaking wet, and seeing Piper laughing at him.  
He grinned, and splashed a load of water at her before he got out, thankful that their suits were waterproof. His hair wasn't though.  
As he flicked it backwards, some of the spray caught Piper and she yelped, causing him to grin.  
He decided to leave it to dry on its own and gave a dramatic sigh.  
"Yup... Maybe I am like Finn..."  
He gave a mock shudder and Piper giggled as she flicked his hair out from in front of his eyes.  
"Nah... You don't irritate me that much..."  
"That much...? Wait, what are you trying to say exactly?"  
They joked around as they unpacked the food and settled down, and Aerrow grinned as he saw Piper fussing over some crystals she had just noticed.  
This was fast becoming one of the best days he could remember...

Finn scowled as he swam out of the lake. He and Arya had been jumping around in the branches above the water, and he had landed on a thin one that had cracked and sent him tumbling into the water.  
His scowl morphed to a smile as he saw Arya laughing at him, and accepted the hand out of the water.  
"Oh yeah, let's all laugh at the idiot who fell in a lake..." he said, rolling his eyes, and Arya grinned.  
"You said it..."  
She giggled as she gave Finn a light push, sending him back into the water, but yelped when he grabbed her and pulled her in after him.  
They spent the next few minutes splashing around, before climbing out. It made a nice change to not have to wait for things to dry, she mused, as she ran a hand through her hair, untangling the knots, and watched the water slide off of her new outfit, seeing as it was waterproof.  
Piper had given her a few different outfits to try on, saying that she had got them ages ago but never really wanted to wear them. Arya had fallen in love dark, forest green one, with patches of lighter shades of blue over it, and it had fit as though it was made for her.  
She still couldn't quite believe this was happening. Two days ago, she had woken up to another day of running and hiding, now she was with the best group of people she had ever met and was looking at a life she could never have dreamed of living before.  
And she owed it to the blonde boy that was slouching next to her.  
He grinned as he saw her eyes on him and yawned, stretching out and getting to his feet.  
He missed the slight flush she gave at the grin, and held out a hand, pulling her to her feet.  
"Come on, let's go teach you to fly..."  
Half an hour later and they were flying through the air, Arya sat behind Finn, watching how he controlled the skimmer. She found that, despite her worries, she loved being in the air. Fin seemed to have picked up on this and was doing the odd spin, enjoying the shocked laughter she gave at each surprise.  
Now he had decided to fly above the Terra. Just to see what it was all like.  
He noticed a flicker of silver out of the corner of his eye, and his grin was matched with Arya's as they recognised Aerrow skimmer.  
"Wanna go see what they're up to?"  
"Yep."

They flew down and landed just as Aerrow caught sight of them.  
"Hey Finn, Arya. You guys having fun?"  
Finn spoke up as he jumped from the bike.  
"Yup. Jut teaching Arya the basics of flying. I think she enjoys being in the air as much as you do Aerrow... And why is your hair wet?"  
"I-I err..."  
"Fell in a lake." Piper provided, and Arya giggled.  
"Finn did the same thing. Then pulled me in after him."  
"Only when you pushed me in for a second time..."  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Second time?"  
"Shut up..." Finn scowled, then changed his expression to a grin, showing he was messing about. "You guys heard from the others?"  
Aerrow shrugged as Piper showed Arya the crystals she had found.  
"Nope. I thought they were going out to look at the different plants and stuff..."  
"Yeah, just wondering. We thought it would be a good idea if we head back for early evening. That way we'll have time to see how Arya gets on with weapons and things."  
"Sure. I have to hand it to Condora, she found a great pace for a rest..."  
Finn swiped a sandwich from the backpack and shrugged as he took a huge bite.  
"Bout time we had a rest. I was getting too tired to be irritating..."  
"Oh, the horror..."  
Finn handed Arya a sandwich as her and Piper joined them again, and she alternated between taking bites and informing Piper of the abilities of the crystal she recognised, the one that Piper had found by accident.  
Apparently it was undetectable with scanners, and you could only find it if you knew what you were looking for. It could also be combined with other crystals to shield them from detection.  
Piper seemed determined to use them with everyone's weapons, but before she could demand to be taken back to the Condor, Aerrow had butt in, saying she would have plenty of time later that evening.  
Finn and Arya took off after that, Finn planning on getting Arya onto a ride of her own, (considering they had a couple of spare switchblades from various excursions) leaving Aerrow and Piper to decide to pack up and head down to take the crystals back to the Condor before heading out to the lake for a couple of hours before heading back in the evening.  
They had just started back across the plains, riding instead of flying, when they heard the sound of laughter and decided to investigate.

Ace and Junko were in the grip of violent, chest wracking, laughter as they watched Stork get chased around by a ball of bouncing, from what they could tell, living fluff.  
Eventually, Ace managed to gasp out that they should probably try to help him. Junko, however, already filming it with his mini recorder, and trying to hold it steady through the great shakes that the laughter was sending through his body, shook his head.  
"This is just... Too good to... pass up..." he managed, between gasps, and Ace had to agree... This was the most fun he could remember having since... well, since he was with the previous Storm Hawks, and he was enjoying every minute.  
He burst out into fresh laughter, sinking against a tree, as the fluffy ball bit Storks leg and sent him hopping around, trying to yank it off.  
Junko was in gales of laughter, struggling to hold the recorder without it shaking too much, and the sight of the incapacitated wallop sent Ace into an even stronger bout of laughter.  
He flicked his head around as he sensed someone else enter the clearing they were in, but at the look on Aerrow and Piper's faces as they took in the scene, he nudged Junko, who looked over to them as well. They both started laughing even harder, and Aerrow and Piper were also sent into a laughing fit as they took everything in.  
Then Stork ran into a tree, and flopped back, spinning and hopping about, which sent Aerrow to the ground, laughing so hard he had trouble breathing.  
After a few minutes, he managed to calm down, and head over to help Stork up, the fluffy creature having vanished, still chuckling. The others were still laughing behind him, and Junko had turned off the recorder, in favour of holding onto a branch to keep himself upright.  
Eventually, they all managed to get a grip on themselves, and they all decided to head back to the Condor, as Junko had got what he came for-namely a sack full of fruit- and Stork had 'Had enough of this Terra to last him a lifetime...'  
His rants about fluffy doom and the irony of it had them all laughing again, and they were still smiling widely when they reached the Condor.  
Junko uploaded the recording to Condora's processing units and the Condor was filled with laughter.  
Junko grinned. Stork would never live this down. Mission accomplished.  
Piper dropped the crystals off in her room and her and Aerrow head back out, telling the others they'd be back in a few hours.

A couple of hours later, and they had got tired of splashing around and leaping through trees, and they were sat against a tree.  
Piper was leant in to Aerrow, who had one arm around her shoulders and one hand holding one of Pipers, their fingers were entwined.  
Piper was dozing lightly, and Aerrow was content to let her sleep.  
He was savouring the peace and quiet around him, watching the birds as they appeared every now and then to dance around in the sky before vanishing.  
A bit later, and the sun was just starting to sink. Then Aerrow had an idea and manoeuvred himself so that he could pick up Piper without jostling her. She curled in closer as he sat on his bike, and he picked up speed, opening the wings and gliding up to the plateaux they had been on earlier.  
He grinned as he woke Piper up, and gestured to the view.  
"What do you think Pipes?"  
She gave a small gasp as she took in the sight.  
The sun was sinking, and it cast a glow over the entire Terra, which seemed to sparkle in the light. The blue-ish green of the sky intermingled with various hues of pink and orange, and the darker blue of the night sky even further to the west was dotted with stars.  
It was beautiful.  
"You brought me up here to see this?"  
Aerrow shrugged, going slightly pink.  
"I know you like the sunset... But we never have a chance appreciate these things-"  
He was cut short as she gave him a kiss. He wrapped an arm around her as they sat on the edge of the cliff, watching as the sun sank lower.  
It had just fully sank out of sight when Aerrow blinked.  
"Oh... Oops."  
"Oops?"  
"We should have been back at the Condor by now..."  
"Oh yeah... Oops..."

It was little over ten minutes when they finally landed in the hangar bay, and it was to be greeted with Finn.  
"Bout time you guys got back."  
"Yeah, sorry. We were..."  
"I don't want to know what you were doing..."  
"Finn!" Piper had flushed red, and Finn grinned, rolling his eyes.  
"Oh, calm down. Sheesh... It's alright. When you didn't show, we assumed you'd lost track of time, so Ace started with the training... You should have seen it. She's great! Not up to you or Ace's standards, but very good. Anyway, we tried her with a small sword, instead of the knife, and she was pretty good with that too. A bit of help from you and Ace and she'll be as good as any of the rest of us."  
"So..." Aerrow said, grinning as they walked to the training room, "Does this mean you're warming to Ace?"  
Finn shrugged.  
"Meh... He's alright I guess..."  
"But you're really warming to Arya..." Aerrow teased, and Piper swatted him n the arm as Finn went bright red.  
"Oi, stop teasing him... That's my job."

They silently entered the room to see Ace sparring with Arya. Aerrow widened his eyes, surprised.  
Finn was right.  
She_ was_ good. Very good.  
As they broke apart, Aerrow joined in the applause with Junko, and they turned, grinning.  
Ace sheathed his own sword and grinned.  
"Sorry. We were going to wait, but you seemed... busy..."  
Aerrow rolled his eyes, shrugging.  
"Ah well. Well done Arya, that was impressive!"  
"Thanks..." She grinned, and Finn gave her a high five, which she eagerly returned, laughing.  
For the next hour or so, they all took turns to have small sparring matches, and then, after a while, Finn grinned, muttering to Arya.  
"Hey guys! Arya wants to see Aerrow and Ace sparring..."  
Ace rolled his eyes.  
"Don't you mean you want to see us sparring, and are using poor innocent Arya as a scapegoat for your bets with Junko?"  
Finn blinked and turned to Aerrow, who was grinning widely.  
"He's learning..."  
The two agreed to a small match, and Ace rolled his eyes as they took their places.  
"You know Finn's given it a week till I beat you. Junko said it wasn't happening."  
"Yeah, well, Finn had always been optimistic to the point of ridiculousness..."  
"Oh really?"  
"Well, He's not winning this bet, so..."  
"Oh yeah? Try me."  
"Sure thing."

Twenty minutes later, and Ace gave a good natured scowl as he sheathed his sword. Aerrow had won four out of the five small matches they had had, and he didn't feel anything but pride for his younger brother.  
Ace blinked at that.  
Hmm. Apparently, he was still adjusting to that fact.  
After grabbing something to eat, they all head off to their rooms.  
Just as they split off, Radarr and Glitch appeared, having been missing all day, and no-one could understand what they were gesturing about.  
All they could get was fluffy balls and running.  
Aerrow automatically head for his own room, but then changed course, knocking on the door to Piper's room.  
The door slid open, and he poked his head inside.  
"Hey... I was just wondering if you were gonna be okay tonight? With the nightmares..."  
She smiled,  
"I'll be fine. You should go get some sleep..."  
"When you do. Do you mind?"  
She shook her head, and Aerrow slumped down next to her as she lay down. It was unspoken that he was going to stay until he was sure she was okay, and Piper, as she lay down, realised that she had only ever felt this safe with Aerrow.  
It was with this thought that she nodded off, and Aerrow silently made to move, when her hand subconsciously grasped his and their fingers intertwined.  
He gave a small smile, and lay back down again. At least he wouldn't worry this way.  
He was asleep in moments, and soon, the entire ship was silent aside from the humming and background static.


	28. Chapter 28

Aerrow yawned as he opened his eyes, and only just remembered not to stretch.  
He sat up, glancing over to see that Piper was still sound asleep, and looked at the clock.  
Hmm...Five. Too early to get up... He decided to just stay where he was, and sat up against the back wall, dozing lightly.  
Which was why he heard the light footsteps that tiptoed past the room an hour later.  
Aerrow let them pass, then silently got up to follow, pulling on his boots as he did so. The door slid up, silently, and he saw a figure dart round the corner.  
Ace? What the hell was he doing...?  
Aerrow followed him as he made his way up through the Condor and onto the balcony out front, where he leant over the rail. Aerrow let him stand there for a few minutes, before he followed him out. Ace span, surprised, as his footsteps sounded, but then gave him a small smile.  
"Aerrow... You're up early."  
"You too..."  
"Couldn't sleep..."  
"Same. Not sure why you decided to come out into the cold though..."  
"I don't know. It's just... quieter."  
Aerrow leant against the railing, next to him, and they were quiet for a few minutes. Then Ace spoke up.  
"I can't seem to forget the last time I stood in this spot... the last time I stood in the Condor..."  
He gripped the rail, and Aerrow sighed.  
"You never told me why... There had to be a reason to spark you betraying them...? It couldn't have just been the control?"

Ace froze for a second, then shook his head.  
"It wasn't. It was stupid, really... I was a year younger than you are now... I'd been with the team for over a year, when Strike decided to leave me behind on a mission again. I was still recovering from the effects of the first time Cyclonis had me, and wasn't aware of the control then. Something in me just snapped when he ordered me to stay behind. I started shouting, and the next thing I knew, we were in the thick of the fighting. This was the final battle before Cyclonia won... It got to the point where Strike let me ride out, then I heard a voice in my head. Strike said something about me being slow, when I should be paying attention, and I snapped. I'd just... had enough... The next thing I knew, I was looking down as the Condor fell, and I... I felt good about it."  
Ace clenched the rail again, having said most of that in one go, and Aerrow remained silent, thinking it all through.  
When Ace spoke again, his voice was quieter than before.  
"I don't know how I can ask you to forgive me for that. I took away everything from you before you had a chance to have it... Everything I've done since then... I can't take any of it back. And I don't think I can ever make up for any of it-"  
"Well, you've made a hell of a start..."  
Ace raised an eyebrow at him, and Aerrow shrugged.  
"Think about it. It's been... what? Three weeks since I first saw you here, and in that time, you've saved my life, Piper's life, not to mention the air skirmishes and stuff... I'd say that you've made a hell of a start at it. And it has to mean something that you've fit in so well..."  
"I've been thinking along those lines. I must be doing something right..."  
"Well... Not trying to, as Stork would put it, 'send us to our doom' is something I have to point out here..." Aerrow passed for a moment, shivering lightly. "Can I also point out that it's cold and it's much warmer in the console room...?"  
"I'm gonna stay for a bit..."  
Aerrow sighed, and leant against the rail again, arms crossed.  
"What?" he asked, in response to Ace's raised eyebrows, "If you think I'm leaving you out here to brood on your own, you've got another thing coming. Could you hurry it up though? I think I'm starting to freeze..."  
Ace shook his head, smiling.  
"You really are the most irritating, persistent and stubborn person I have ever met."  
"I'll have to look it up, but I think that it comes under the job description, being a younger brother and all..."  
Ace grinned, and reached over, pulling Aerrow into a headlock and ruffling his hair before letting go.  
"And I'm pretty sure that that comes with mine."  
Aerrow gave him a scowl, then grinned.  
"So_ now _can we go inside? I wasn't joking about the freezing thing..."  
Ace rolled his eyes but gestured inside.  
"I forgot to mention whiny... But sure."  
Aerrow grinned as he sat down in a chair around the table and put his feet on the top, Ace following suit but keeping his feet on the floor, spinning the chair to face Aerrow, who spoke up.  
"So... Stuff."  
Ace laughed, and folded his arms, grinning,  
"You just summed up my entire life in one word."  
"It's a gift..." Aerrow said, grinning, and Ace raised an eyebrow.  
"So is your ability to be so infuriating..."  
"Nope, that's just a finely honed skill. Takes years of practice to reach my level of infuriatingness. I'm just sorry I mentored Finn in the subtle art of being irritating..."  
Ace shook his head, laughing again.  
"You're a hell of a kid. You know that?"  
"Err... Thanks? I think..."

They were interrupted as Piper entered the room, yawning.  
"What's with all the racket?"  
Aerrow looked sheepish as she sat next to him.  
"Were we being that loud?"  
"Nah. I just woke up to find you'd gone, but you'd left your link on the table. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."  
Aerrow took the link, and clicked it back into place.  
"Yeah... Just saw a certain someone tiptoeing around, and was bored so followed him."  
Aerrow could tell from Pipers look that she knew it was more than that, but she let it drop as she slumped into a chair.  
"Right... So now that we're up so early, what do we do? I know that neither of you will be able to sit still for more than five minutes without getting bored..."  
They both gave her indignant protests, all the while knowing she was right, and then Aerrow grinned.  
"You know, it may have been cold, but it was windy too..."  
Ace and Piper grinned, and, without having to say anything, they all ran for the hangar.  
Ten minutes later, and Aerrow and Ace were gliding, flipping, cart-wheeling and generally battling in the air. Piper sighed as she saw them pulling out their weapons, grinning like idiots.  
Guys...  
She, herself, was using a crystal to levitate herself and was leisurely floating in the air.  
Or she was, until Aerrow went flying past her with a yell.  
She rolled her eyes as he called up to Ace about that having been a sneaky, underhand move, and drifted out of range as he called back.  
So much for taking a break...  
She was so relaxed, and became so focused on attuning herself to the currents of the wind, that she didn't notice the others taking to the air until they were all coming up to her on their rides, cautiously avoiding the two sparring gliders, who had both shouted cheerful greetings before returning to beating each other up.  
Piper was surprised to see Arya on her own ride, and Finn grinned, proudly.  
"She's a natural. Needs more practise on spins and stuff, but she can handle a skimmer."  
They all hovered for a while, watching the battling duo twirling and spinning through the air, then Finn and Junko decided to join in.  
They didn't seem to mind.  
Even on skimmers, Finn and Junko were no match for Aerrow and Ace, who took great delight in leisurely dodging the blasts sent at them, even high-fiving after a particularly impressive dodge and subsequent need for Junko spin out of the way of Finn's blast.  
It was only a series of lights, no actual dangerous energy, but they still took it seriously.  
Piper and Arya grinned as another skimmer came to join the group, Radarr piloting it and dropping Glitch off on Arya's ride before joining the others with a battle cry... a chittering battle cry at least.  
Aerrow grinned, and cheerfully took advantage of the fact he could leap onto his skimmer and do different moves, much to Finn and Junko's irritation.

The sun had finally risen properly when they decided to call it quits.  
As they all head in for something to eat, Piper caught up with Aerrow.  
"Do you mind If I practise the Binding today? I have some new things I want to try out."  
"Sure." Aerrow said, grinning, clearly looking forward to it, and Piper grinned. Then she frowned.  
"What's up?" Aerrow asked, but she shook her head.  
"Nothing. Just thinking..."  
"Hmm..." Finn butt in, a serious expression on his face, "Thinking. Never tried it myself. I prefer to leave it to people who can actually do so."  
Piper rolled her eyes and swatted at Finn, getting rewarded with an indignant 'Hey!' when she caught the back of his head.  
"Sorry Finn. I figured that, seeing as you had so little in the way of a brain, it wouldn't hurt so much."  
Aerrow chuckled at the indignant scowl Finn sent his way, and rolled his eyes as Junko patted Finn on the back, the obvious intent to make him feel better resolving in Finn on the floor and a very sheepish looking wallop helping him up.

Just over an hour later, Aerrow and Piper were stood a good distance from the Condor, in an open plain.  
Piper had a range of Crystals with her, and Aerrow grinned as she picked one out.  
"So... What does this one do?"  
She grinned.  
"You'll see... Gale Elementalis!"  
Aerrow felt himself lit up with a bright white-ish blue glow, and suddenly felt something around him. Reaching out with his mind, he wrapped the wind around himself, and his shock changed to joy.  
"No Way!"  
He directed the wind around him for a while, then stopped, and reached for the dirt, grinning as he saw it spiralling upwards, the wind directing it.  
Piper's face was a mask of glee, and Aerrow could tell she had put a lot of work into this.  
He let the connection drop and laughed.  
"How the hell did you manage that one, Pipes?"  
"Just combined the energy from a gale crystal with some of the energy from the Helix Stone... It's so powerful Aerrow. I can reach out to it, and there is nothing but energy, pulsing around me. It doesn't seem to have any limits... I reckon we could power the condor for years with the energy from that stone..."  
Aerrow grinned, then looked slightly worried.  
"Wait... Are you sure it's a wise idea to bind with a stone that powerful?"  
"I haven't banded with it yet, but I can sense it. I don't think it's a good idea to bind with it. The power going through it is just... I don't think anyone could channel it without burning up."  
"Like what happened to Ace?"  
"That's what I'm thinking..."  
"Then be careful with the experimenting, would you?"  
"I'm always careful..."  
"Right... So, wanna go again?"  
Piper grinned.  
"Nope, I wanna try something a little different. Come here a sec..."  
Aerrow head over and she handed him a blue striker crystal, the same crystal that powered his blades.  
"You know how I can feel the crystals? As in the essence of them?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Well, I remember that Cyclonis said something about the binding working both ways... I was thinking-"  
"That I may be able to sense the crystals as well?"  
"Exactly. Maybe If I open a connection, then slowly drop it, you could try to maintain it."  
"But I'm not the Crystal mage here, Pipes..."  
"No... But it would be fun to try...?"  
She gave him a grin, and he sighed.  
"Alright then... Let's see what you got."

Two hours later, and Aerrow was still not getting anything.  
"Sorry Piper," he said, after yet another failed attempt, "I guess it just doesn't work that way..."  
Piper sighed, sitting down next to him, and entwining her fingers in his.  
"Yeah... One more time though?"  
Aerrow grinned, rolling his eyes.  
"Okay then..."  
He didn't let go of her hand, however, and neither could have predicted the results of the contact.  
This time, when Piper struck up the connection, Aerrow could sense the pulsing surface, like he could the time he had initiated the connection.  
With a grin, he reached out and touched the glowing field around Piper, gasping lightly as it encompassed him as well.  
Piper grinned as she slowly pulled out, and eventually broke contact, leaving Aerrow in a paler, yet still obvious, web of crystal energy.  
As she laughed, however, his concentration was broken and the web collapsed, leaving the striker crystal to fall from the air, where Aerrow caught it, grinning.  
"Well... I think we're making some very good progress in this department..."  
Piper laughed, and pulled him into a hug.  
"This is gonna be so great!" She said, and went to pull out a different crystal. She was interrupted, however, as Ace arrived.  
"Finn was hoping that by sending me, you would be more eager to say that he could have a barbeque..." he said, grinning, and Aerrow and Piper simultaneously rolled their eyes, Aerrow shrugging.  
"You know what? What the hell..." he pulled out his link and messaged Finn.  
"Hey, Finn? You can have your damned barbeque under two conditions. One, no blowing up the hangar bay this time, and two, Stork does _not_ do the cooking."  
Finn gave a whoop as the Merb gave an indignant huff, which quickly changed to a sigh of relief.  
"Avoidance of doom... This is turning into the best day yet..."  
Aerrow grinned as he severed the connection, and turned to see Ace congratulating Piper.

"That was really impressive... Not even Cyclonis was capable of doing that. Then again, she wasn't too keen on experimenting once she found something she knew was dangerous..."  
"Were you never able to feel the energy source?" Piper sounded very interested, and Ace was happy to answer her questions.  
"Nope. I was just a channel for the power."  
Piper mused for a while, leaving Aerrow to grin at the familiar thoughtful expression on her face, before grinning.  
"Hang on, so you're used the feeling of energy from a crystal?"  
"Yes...?"  
"I wonder if I can channel energy into two people at the same time..."  
Aerrow and Ace started, and raised an eyebrow at each other. Piper looked very eager, though Ace looked more than a little apprehensive of it. He seemed to swipe it aside though, at the obvious eagerness Piper was showing, and nodded.  
"Feel like trying it out?"  
"You're sure?" The eagerness was clear in her voice, and Ace nodded,  
"Absolutely... Aerrow?"  
"I've got no problem with it. Whenever you're ready Pipes..."  
Piper grabbed a crystal, the one she used to channel the ability to fly, and took a deep breath.  
With deliberate slowness, she connected the energy to Aerrow, and, when he was floating in the air, expanded it to Ace.  
She gave a huge grin as Ace tentatively rose into the air, but then he returned the smile... Just before he gave a gasp of pain and severed the connection, dropping to the floor.  
Piper severed the connection between herself and Aerrow, and he fell to the floor, absorbing the impact by bending his knees, and raced over to Ace.  
The sight that met him had him giving a shocked laugh.  
Ace was blinking, looking completely bemused, and had a hand to his face, where the crystal had vanished, leaving nothing but a thin strip of pinkish red running along his jaw line.  
He blinked again, as he registered this, then a grin grew across his face.  
Piper looked completely bemused,  
"I guess the energy from the binding destroyed the effects of Cyclonis's... Well, most of it anyway... I should have realised that something weird would happen..."  
Ace grinned at her, and leapt to his feet, laughing.  
"Who cares? Weird is good! Weird is great!"  
Aerrow joined in the laughter, and Piper followed suit, still a little confused but happily so.  
They were interrupted by Finn's voice, through the link.  
"Hey Guys! If you want to sample Arya's cooking, you'd better get your asses in here! I can only hold Junko back from the sheer awesome on the table for so long you know..."  
"On our way Finn!" Aerrow replied, and clipped his link back. "Heading back guys?"  
They both nodded, Ace still grinning widely, and set off.

They were back in the Condor within twenty minutes, and even Piper admitted that Arya's cooking was better than her own... Though Stork made her promise she wouldn't stop making the sand-cakes.  
Apparently, a day without one of those was no longer like a day without man-eating bat repellent,(1) but like a day without midge fly repellent.  
They had all commented on the fact that, as Finn put it, Ace no longer looked like something from a 'Terra Neon Crystal Day', which had him being swatted round the head by Piper for being an 'insensitive ass, who could probably offend a butterfly if he so much as opened his mouth'.  
The rest of the day was filled with arguments about Music- with everyone complaining about Finns Razor-Lark tracks until Ace snuck off, grabbed them, and hid them somewhere, resulting in Piper being able to play some actual decent music-,Training games- such as keep-away and catch the sky-knight, something they were actually able to do, seeing as Arya and Ace were helping them and Ace was flipping between gliding and riding with Glitch being a co-pilot for him (It still took them nearly an hour though...)- and generally messing about.  
Three water fights later, and one game of keep the puzzle cube from Finn, who had found it in the small compartment underneath the table in the console room, resulting in Ace managing to stash it where he had stashed the Razor-Lark Tracks, and Aerrow and Piper were sat on the edge of the cliff again, watching the sun go down for a second time.  
This time, they fully had a chance to appreciate as the different shades of red and pink mingled into each other and faded away to reveal the starlit, greenish blue skies that they had grown accustomed to on the Far Side.

They stayed on the plateaux, lying back and looking at the stars, for a few hours, until it started to get cold and they flew back to the Condor.  
Ace and Finn were the only ones awake, and Finn was raging about how Ace had solved the puzzle cube in three minutes flat. Aerrow also noticed that the Razor-Lark Tracks were next to Finn, and Ace shrugged.  
"He's agreed to come up with a schedule... Provided I don't tell him how to solve the cube. I thought it was a win-win situation. He shuts up with the puzzle cube, and we don't have to listen to that infernal band all day..."  
Aerrow grinned.  
"You've just solved a problem that has been puzzling us for years..."  
Ace returned the grin.  
"Glad I could help..."  
Before long, after three chicken illusions had popped from the puzzle, two giant illusions of flame-corn and one of a laughing kid, mocking Finn, Finn threw the thing to the floor and stormed out. Two minutes later, he came back, picked it up and continued playing with it, mumbling and cursing under his breath, as he walked out again.  
Ace soon followed, telling Aerrow he actually intended to get some sleep tonight, and Piper left soon after, telling him not to stay up too late.  
He head out to the balcony, not feeling at all tired, and was pleased to discover that the night wasn't as cold as the previous one, and it was actually quite warm. He leant against the railing, gripping it with his hands, and smiled as he looked over the Terra, which seemed to have come alive over the course of the last couple of hours, and was filled with quiet chattering and gentle whistles as the wind blew through the nearby trees.  
Aerrow stayed there for some time, before he realised he really should try and get some sleep.  
He head back in, suddenly finding himself yawning, and made his way to his room, checking in on Piper on the way, to see her sleeping soundly.  
He kicked off his boots and yawned as he lay back, not bothering with the sheets, and fell asleep just as Radarr appeared and curled up next to him, chittering quietly as he twisted and made himself comfortable, before too falling asleep.  
_

**(1) I think that's the exact quote from the episode... You know, the episode when Piper leaves, and they all trick her... and they nearly lose the Condor... and kick Talon ass...Yeah, you all know what I'm on about :D  
(Tranquility Now, I think it's called, but that's from memory so... Yeah, I could be wrong...)**

**Anyways, I wanted to heal the crystal on Ace's face for some time now, and this seemed like a good opportunity for it.  
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and please review to let me know what you think!  
**

**Oh, and the next chapter is one of my faves so far! Even if it is going to be a long one... a very long one... Ah well :D**


	29. Chapter 29

**Very non-serious chapter, with lots of pranks and reminiscing and stuff. Actually, slightly crackish if you go with my friends view point after she had read it.  
So yeah, pranks, and a paintball match that takes place all around the condor.  
Hope you guys enjoy!  
Oh, and the next two chapters were going to be one, but it was veeeeeeery long, so I split it, for easier reading :D  
_**

Aerrow opened his eyes, and yawned, stretching and running a hand through his hair as he sat up.  
Radarr seemed to have already gotten up, and a quick look at the clock told him it was nearly eleven. Aerrow blinked. He hadn't had a lie-in past ten o'clock for years...  
Within a few minutes, he was changed and pulling on his boots, feeling more rested than he had in quite some time. He left his room, heading up to the console room, where Condora told him that the others were in the small lounge on the Condor. Aerrow was fairly confused as he head there... They hardly ever used the room unless they were watching a movie or something...  
He entered the room to see that it was dark, but within an instant, the lights flipped on, and he was met with the sight of Finn, eagerly waving his arms around, with the others all grinning as they stood around the table with a huge cake on it.  
"Happy Late Birthday Buddy!" Finn called, and accidentally slipped on Radarr's tail. He fell back into Junko, who was knocked off balance and went tumbling to the floor, catching Ace's side as he did so and pulling both him and Finn over too. Radarr went flying from Finns foot, and landed on Junko's face, causing the wallop to give a startled cry and send Ace flying into the opposite wall, colliding with a bookcase and sending the whole thing tumbling over onto him. That started a chain reaction, as the books hit the swinging light, which hit the huge fan, which shuddered and sent a box of wrenches and spanners onto Finn and Junko, Radarr just leaping out of the way in time, only to land on a chicken and have to grab on as the bird ran around the room, squawking.

Aerrow looked from where Ace was getting to his feet, then to Finn and Junko, then to Radarr, still being thrown about by the chicken, then to the shocked, yet amused, faces on the two girls, and he burst out laughing.  
He sank down against the wall, clutching his aching ribs as he tried to get his composure back. But when Finn got to his feet and slipped on another wrench, pulling Junko over again, he only laughed harder. His laughter was renewed yet again when they all finally got to their feet, but the crazed chicken ran beneath Junko's feet, sending him falling again, and tripping up Finn. Radarr took his chance to leap from the chicken and landed on Ace's shoulder, sending them both falling into the books again.  
Aerrow couldn't stop laughing as they all finally managed to get to their feet, and it took several minutes for him to be able to choke out anything coherent, as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes and tried to stop himself hiccupping.  
"That... was brilliant..."  
Aerrow caught sight of the scowls and was set of into another bout of laughter, this time with Piper and Arya joining in. The guys couldn't help but grin, aside from Radarr, who was busy picking chicken feathers out of his fur with help from Glitch.  
It took nearly half an hour for Aerrow to stop chuckling, though he still had a huge grin on his face as he helped them clear up.  
As he slouched down onto the sofa, hands behind his head, he shook his head.  
"That was even better than that April Fool's day when I covered the corridor floor with grease..."  
The others all groaned, and Finn snorted.  
"Fun for you maybe... There we were," he said to Ace and Arya, "slipping over everywhere for almost an hour with the floor covered in grease, and him and Radarr were filming the entire thing from an opening in the vents. Bloody idiot spent the whole night setting it up..."  
"Best April Fool's prank ever," Aerrow said, grinning, and Arya laughed.  
"Do you still have the recording?"  
"Nope, we found it and trashed it-" Finn started to say, then Aerrow butted in with a smug grin.  
"Actually, they threw out a blank tape. I have the actual one locked away nice and safe."  
"What? Why you-"  
"You sneaky little-"  
"No fair Aerrow!"  
"Don't you dare-"  
The others protests were cut off as Aerrow grinned, tapping the table in front of him, letting a small section of the metal fold down to reveal a secret compartment. He reached in and pulled out a series of tapes, reading from the labels.  
"Hmm, let's see... April Fool's day number one... Taking the bolts out of Finn's ride... Two, replacing the cocoa powder with chilli powder and the chocolate cause with Terra Saharr's signature hotsauce... That was a good one... Then there is three years ago, setting it up to look like there was a ghost and hoard of mind-worms taking over the Condor-You remember that, Stork?"  
Aerrow wasn't put off by the silence that greeted the question, or the fact that his team were shocked into silence by the fact that he still had the tapes that they thought they had managed to throw out. Ace and Arya were grinning, As Aerrow continued.  
"Long-lasting Ink on weapon's handles...Talking gibberish... Replacing fruits with sour versions- Still remember those expressions- Entering Junko and Finn into a ballet competition... Covering them with glue and feathers... locking Finn in the bathroom with a dozen chickens... Ah, here we are. Grease on the corridor. What's with the faces guys? You didn't really think I would give you a chance to throw them out?"  
"Why you-"  
Finn pounced on Aerrow wrestling him to the floor, but the result was Aerrow having Finn in a headlock.  
"Ah, calm down Finn. You know, if you guys tried harder, you may actually have been able to fool me!"  
Finn wrested himself out of the headlock and ran a hand through his hair, tweaking it.  
"Well every-time we tried, you managed to avoid it and fool us into falling into our own traps..."  
"Like the new escape hatch!"Stork said, glaring, "And the boxing glove I spring-loaded into the Condor."  
"I told you it would never work, Stork," Finn defended, "And that it would never come in handy..."  
"Well, It's knocked out a raptor when we were with the Absolute Zeroes last year..."(1)  
"But its purpose was to actually get Aerrow. Instead, you managed to knock Junko out, who then collapsed onto me and flattened me to the floor, whilst Aerrow was hiding in a corner filming the entire thing. I don't get it," Finn turned to Aerrow, who was still sorting through the tapes, "We stay up every year, on the last day of March, to find out what you're up to. We never manage it, but you always know what we are getting up to... How do you do it?"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"I guess you'll just have to wait and see... Maybe this year, you'll figure it out..."  
"But there is still nearly five months to go..." Finn whined, and Aerrow's grin widened.  
"And I already have a plan in the works..."  
The others all gulped and backed away slightly as Aerrow handed a tape to Radarr.  
"Hey buddy, go play this one, would ya? It's our top five pranks tape..."  
Radarr gave a chirp and ran off with the tape, plugging it into the contraption the back of the room whilst pressing a switch to lower the screen down and dim the lights.  
He pressed play, and the film started.  
A big number one appeared, with a countdown, and the others all groaned as they recognised the occasion.  
Arya and Ace had sat down, very eager to see this, and both couldn't stop laughing as the tape played through.  
1... The camera was still, giving them a clear view of Radarr and Aerrow setting up a projector behind the vents, then running back to the camera. A few minutes later, Stork walked past and Radarr pressed a switch.  
All of a sudden, an image of a ghost appeared and Stork gave a strangled cry, falling backwards, where Aerrow projected the image of a hoard of mind worms crawling along the corridor. Radarr made a series of strange noises and played a sound recording, and Stork legged it back up the corridor, yelling about invasions and ghosts.  
Aerrow and Radarr's laughter was evident on the tape, but it quietened down as they heard voices, and Stork reappeared with Finn and Junko. Finn was sighing.  
"But mind worms aren't invading the Condor, Stork..."  
"But I saw... Oh..." Stork looked around, realising that there was nothing there, and blinked, then span around and grabbed the neck of Finn's outfit, "They were there, man... They must be hiding... Like the ghost..."  
With that, Radarr gave a small howl and Stork shrieked, leaping into Junko's arms, and Aerrow pressed a switch, making the ghost image reappear.  
Now it was Finn's turn to yelp and jump onto Junko, who fell backwards, just catching his balance before legging it up the corridor, the others still clinging on.  
A few seconds later, they were being shoved shamefaced, back down the corridor by Piper, who was going on about them being big babies and that they knew Aerrow would likely be playing pranks thismorning. She stopped by the wall, and sighed, considering, before she looked up at the vents... Directly at the Camera, where Radarr chattered and sent a bucket of flour down over them, as Aerrow sent downa torrent of water from a hose. All of them were covered from head to foot in a white, sticky mixture, and they were all glaring.  
It was at this time that Aerrow and Radarr, both on the recording and in real life, burst out laughing.

The real Aerrow got up to let Stork sit down, and made his way over to Radarr who had paused the tape.  
"Go on Radarr, next one..."  
Ace and Arya, still laughing, managed to quieten down as the next part began playing.  
Junko groaned and slumped to the floor, leaning against the sofa, and Finn followed suit as they realised what Prank this was...  
2... The screen made a quick countdown and then an image appeared. Looking closely, they could all see that it was a form for entering competitors in a ballet competition. Finn and Junko's names were at the top, and they all watched as Aerrow posted it.  
The image changed into Aerrow, holding an hypnosis crystal, and shushing Radarr as he hypnotised Finn and Junko to want to be great ballet stars. Nothing else, just giving them a new number one dream.  
The image changed again, this time to Finn and Junko in Leotards... Fluffy Pink ones. (At thispoint, Aerrow and Radarr were laughing too hard to pay much attention to the recording, as they were remembering what happened. Ace and Arya were laughing at the sight of the two in baby pink, and Even Piper and Stork were smirking, both at the sight and at the relief they remembered feeling as they discovered that they would not be part of Aerrow's prank that year.)  
They were both dancing around the hangar bay, and were actually surprisingly good...  
The recording of them dancing went on for a few minutes, then the image changed yet again, to then being on a stage.  
(The date stamp was the same day, and both Ace and Arya were marvelling at what Aerrow was capable of doing in a single morning.)  
Both Finn and Junko were doing ballet, much to the audience's delight and amusement, realising that this must be some form of April Fool's day prank, and the recording went on for a while.  
Then it was the results, and the pair won third place.  
The recording zoomed out, to get Aerrow in the frame, as he halted the hypnosis. The resulting yelps from both Finn and Junko, coupled with their hasty escape from the stage had everyone both on the screen and in the Condor laughing, aside from Finn and Junko, who were both burying their heads in their arms.

Aerrow grinned and jogged forward, reaching into the compartment again and drawing out a trophy, which he handed to Finn.  
"I went and collected it afterwards... That way, you could always have a reminder of that day..."  
Finn and Junko looked as though they didn't know whether thank or hit him, and he backed away calling to Radarr  
"Play the next bit, Radarr!"  
Radarr gave a chirp, and the number three appeared on the screen.  
This time, Stork, Finn and Junko groaned.  
From the image, they realised that the camera was positioned in the corner of the console room, behind the shelf unit.  
The video started with Finn and Junko, staring at Stork as he struggled to shove a spring loaded boxing glove into a small compartment in the wall.  
After a few minutes, he managed it and grinned.  
"Oh yeah... After this, I simply have to press a lever and it will blast from the wall, hitting someone before retreating back in."  
Finn's look was one of complete bemusement.  
"It'll never work Stork..."  
"Yeah!" Junko agreed, "And it'll never come in handy after this..."  
Stork glared at them.  
"We'll see..."  
He head over to the controls and placed a hand on a lever.  
"As soon as he walks into that spot right there... Kapow!"  
What he didn't realise what that Radarr had been sneaking up behind him. The sky-monkey gave a huge cry, waving his arms abut, and Stork gave a yelp, falling over his own feet and hooking his arm around the lever, pulling it down.  
The Merb only had time to say 'Oops...' before the glove burst out and ht Junko in the face, sending him falling on top of Finn, who gave a yell as the Wallop flattened him to the floor.  
Aerrow got up from the corner, laughing, and giving Radarr a high five.  
The video faded to black just as Finn managed to pull himself out from under Junko, and Stork accidentally caught the lever, sending the glove at Finn, and sending him flying into the window across the console room, sliding to the floor.

All of them, aside from Finn, was laughing at the scene, and Aerrow nudged Radarr,  
"Keep it going buddy..."  
4... The scene started with Aerrow and Radarr tipping powder from a tin marked cocoa, and replacing it with some of an identical colour, marked 'Saharr Special Curry Mix'  
Then they emptied a tube of chocolate sauce and filled it with another mixture, labelled 'Saharr signature hot sauce'  
Then they put everything back in place and began sipping on premade cups of cocoa as the others walked in, looking suspicious.  
Finn spoke up.  
"Aerrow? You know it's the first of April right?"  
He nodded. "Yup. Oh, there's cocoa on the side for you guys..."  
The cocoa was actually normal, but the others all exchanged glances and tipped it down the sink, before grabbing the tin that was now full of curry powder.  
"No Offense, Aerrow," Finn said, "But we're gonna make our own."  
"Suit yourselves..." Aerrow said, and acted irritated as Finn and Junko made themselves a drink. Piper however, after looking suspiciously at Aerrow, apparently decided on just drinking water.  
Wise desicion.  
Both Finn and Junko, as per tradition, squeezed a healthy dollop of chocolate sauce into their mugs, on top of the cocoa, and clanged cups, before downing it in one.  
It was chaos.  
They both blinked, then glanced at Aerrow just before the heat kicked in.  
He grinned evilly, and they both rushed towards the tap, but it was too late.  
With gasps and yelps, they both gulped down glass after glass of water, then Junko took the shortcut and held his head under the tap.  
They were both randomly running around the kitchens, throwing open cupboards in an attempt to find something to help, whilst Radarr, who had put down the camera on top of the fridge to film the entire scene, Aerrow and Piper were laughing their heads off at the sight.  
Stork chose that moment to enter, and sighed as he caught sight of the two, who had just knocked into each other and sank to the floor, fanning their tongues. He grinned, realising that the prank was clearly over, and head for the chocolate sauce, which he had long since enjoyed on toast.  
The others, aside from Aerrow who was grinning evilly, and Piper, who was too focused on Finn and Junko to pay him much attention, only just caught sight of him as he took a bite, and their cries of  
"NOOOOOO!" were too late, as Stork swallowed.  
He was okay for a couple of seconds, until he realised what had happened, then he turned to glare at Aerrow.  
"You!"It was all he could manage before the heat took over and he started running manically around the kitchen. He accidentally knocked into the open tin of curry powder, and it fell. The other two, who had their mouths open, were right in its path, and the powder landed right on their tongues.  
After the next ten minutes of random running and shouting, Aerrow seemed to have got his conscience back, and grabbed a can of cream, grabbing Finn's head, then Junko's he proceeded to squeeze a load of it into their mouths. Then, leaving them to it, let Radarr clamber up onto his shoulder, high fived him, grabbed the camera and walked out, turning it off.

Piper and Arya were shaking with silent laughter, clutching their sides as Finn, Junko and Stork subconsciously started fanning their faces as they remembered.  
Ace was chuckling in admiration at the ingenious plan, and Aerrow and Radarr were laughing openly, high-fiving.  
After a few minutes, Aerrow whispered to Radarr to start the last part of the video, then grabbed the sky-monkey and escaped to the relative safety of the vents above the room.  
After he showed this one, he had no doubt his team would be hunting him down.  
5...The recording started with Aerrow and Radarr covering an entire length of the corridor with 'easy slick' grease. One of the most slippery substances in the Atmos. They were both wearing studded boots, meaning that they weren't slipping over the odd time they did step in the grease.  
Then they climbed up to the vents, positioning the camera to capture the entire corridor, and Aerrow set off the Condor's alarm.  
The speed by which the team reacted, was comical, But not as comical as what they were wearing. The past few years of pranks seemed to have taken their toll, and they were dressed in a variety of things.  
Stork was covered in saucepans and had a duck shaped swimming floatation aid around his waist.  
He held a giant saucepan in his hands and another on his head.  
Finn was dressed in a camouflages styled suit, and had a band of fabric wrapped around his forehead with belts of stun grenades, smoke bombs and a paintballing gun with two strips of ammunition wrapped around his chest.  
Junko was dressed in what looked to be some kind of chainmail, and had several more smoke bombs and a paintballing gun with even more ammunition.  
Piper was... well, Piper.  
But she had a belt stuffed with crystals of all kinds, as well as a powerful paralyser stone in the staff she had on her back.  
The results of the grease were fantastic.  
Junkowas the first to fall over, and as he yelped, he sent off a series of paintball shots, which smashed into the walls, but one hit the saucepan on Storks head, splattering the Merbs face with bright pink paint. Stork flailed around and went smashing into Finn, who sent off another hail of paintballs, which Piper only managed to dodge by sliding on the grease.  
Then Finn and Stork Collapsed on top of Junko, who gave a loud 'Woah'.  
Piper tried to get to her feet, but her shoes couldn't get a grip on the floor and she went flying into Finn, who was using Junko to get himself upright.  
They all heard Aerrow and Radarr laughing and cursed, spending the next ten minutes trying to get to their feet.  
Eventually, however, they manages it, and went to give Aerrow a series of smug grins, but then Aerrow raised his link to his mouth with an evil smile and their faces dropped.  
"Now Radarr!"  
The ship suddenly lurched and they all went flying again, splattering the walls with grease.  
The Radarr steered the ship in the opposite direction, causing them to fly into the opposite wall.  
It was amusing to see that Piper never landed first, and always landed on top of the others, the crystals in her belt sending off sparks and small shocks that did everything from momentarily freeze Finn, to cause a mini hurricane that only lasted a few seconds. The ship eventually straightened out as Radarr landed it, then a few minutes later, returned with a box of chickens, which he started throwing at the others.  
It was nearly an hour before the chaotic scene came to a halt, as Piper managed to freeze the grease with a crystal, then blow it out of the nearby window with a controlled hurricane.  
(Ace and Arya were in helpless gales of laughter by this point, and the others were flicking between humour and irritation)  
When it had all left, Finn picked up a paintball gun, intending to blast at Aerrow, but the sky-knight and Sky-monkey had already vanished through the vents, turning off the Camera as they went. The last thing they heard was Finn's voice.  
"We'll get you for this Aerrow!"

Aerrow lowered down Radarr to grab the tape, and then hid it in the back of the vent, just as Finn spoke up.  
"You know, we never did get him for that... We had that fight with the Talon's straight afterwards, remember?"  
"And we forgot about it..." Junko finished.  
They all turned to try and see Aerrow, but he was already clambering through the vents. They heard him land on the other side of the wall and Finn jumped to his feet.  
"Junko! Get the paintball guns! I'll get the ammo! Piper, sort the uniforms, Stork... Track him."  
The Merb's face morphed into an expression of evil and he nodded.  
"With pleasure."  
He rushed off at the same time as Junko and Piper, both of whom were looking very gleeful, and Finn grabbed Ace and Arya by an Arm each, knowing Glitch would follow, and dragged them out.  
"You two are going to help. We catch him and we blast him. Any questions?"  
They both shared a look, and shrugged.  
"Nope."  
"Nada..."  
"Good. Then let's get you kitted out. No doubt Aerrow is already doing so..."

Aerrow was indeed doing so. Within minutes, his armour was on, over the top of a black suit with a red back across the shoulder marking his team, his weapons were at his back and he and Radarr were armed with small paintball guns, which they could strap to their waist.  
Both had spare belts of ammunition (red classically being for their team with blue for the others) wrapped around their torsos, and they were running for their usual base.  
The Hangar bay.  
There was only three ways of entering the area. The door, the chute, that they were currently sliding down, and the bay doors. Well, three that the team were aware of. As far as Aerrow knew, they didn't know of the small hatch above his head, now that he and Radarr had hidden behind a load of crates, and it was the way he always managed to escape without them realising how.  
He had no doubt that Ace and Arya had been roped in by the others, and he knew that Stork would be tracking him.  
Speaking of which, Stork's voice echoed through the tannoy.  
"They're in the Hangar bay!"  
Aerrow grinned.  
Not for long... He motioned for Radarr to stay, and leapt out, hiding behind his ride, next to the door.  
The rules were simple. If you were hit three times, you were out. Hits on armour didn't count, and no shots were allowed above the shoulders. And no attacks allowed if someone was reloading. Yet again, Aerrow was glad they had thought to stock up on ammo after the last time. One of the store rooms was full of both Paintball pellets, red and blue, and spare outfits, from jet black ones to camouflage, to just plain old spares.  
Aerrow grinned. They hadn't played this game in a while, and he was looking forward to it.  
The sound of footsteps echoed from the passage way, and someone was coming down the chute.  
Aerrow grinned.  
Let the game begin...  
_

**Referencing the episode there (absolute zeroes). Stork says the others told him it would never work etc, but I've always wanted to write about why he installed a boxing glove :D  
What do you guys think?  
**

**Next chapter will be up soon! :D**


	30. Chapter 30

Finn and Arya slid from the chute as Piper and Junko raced in through the door, past Aerrow, who grinned.  
Radarr leapt up and fired at them, narrowly missing, and Aerrow gave a whistle, jumping up from his spot and shooting at Junko, managing to splatter his leg with red paint.  
Both he and Piper returned fire, and a blast hit his armour as he ducked behind a load of crates, and, keeping to the shadows, crept over to where Radarr was. He gave an order to Condora, who they had previously decided was to be neutral in any games they played, and told her to stand by to open the bay doors. It was always good to have a different way out, and this was something he had been looking forward to doing for some-time.  
Finn's vice rang out,  
"Quick note, Ace is with you, Aerrow! Only fair seeing as Arya is a crack shot... and we didn't have enough blue band outfits. Okay, game on!"  
Condora told Aerrow they were being serious, and he grinned as he made his way back to Radarr, only to see the chute above him opening as Ace dropped through, having chosen the same style suit as Aerrow. Aerrow blinked.  
"You know about that door?"  
"Are you kidding? I know about every inch of this ship."  
"Well, that'll come in handy..."  
"I thought so... I haven't had a paintballing match in some time, by the way. I've missed it."  
"I can see why... Junko's already got one shot. I think Radarr managed to shoot Finn. I'm gonna stay for a bit, then head out of the bay doors and climb onto the balcony."  
"Stork's armed, you know."  
"Yeah, but he's a terrible shot. If I can get three shots at him, they'll be blind for a while with regards to where we are..."  
"Good plan. Oh, and I listened out as they were talking about how they track you. It's by the crystals on your swords..."  
Aerrow nodded,  
"I suspected that, but I was never sure."  
He leapt and fired a volley at Junko, who was shooting very close to Radarr, and ducked  
down again.  
"You wanna go over the top?"  
"I'll go back up through. Provide some cover fire and meet you in the console room asap."  
"You got it."

Aerrow leapt up and ran for the bikes, near to the doors, ducking just in time to avoid a volley of shots, and whistled to Radarr, who leapt and bounded across the space whilst Ace continued firing.  
"Condora! Now!" Aerrow called, through his link, and the doors began to open. Aerrow leapt through the gap, Radarr close behind, and then ordered her to close them again before they had got any further apart.  
He was just in time to see Ace leap up through the gap, and out of sight, when he had to duck a shot that made its way out of the gap in the doors.  
"Radarr! Hold on!"  
Radarr grabbed hold of his shoulders and Aerrow ran and jumped off of the runway just as the doors began to open again. He opened his glider and skimmed the grass, shooting back upwards and dodging the shots aimed at him.  
Radarr yelped, and Aerrow realised he had been hit.  
"Damn it!" He landed on the balcony, out of range and sight of the shooters down below, who cursed and ran back inside, but was now faced with Stork, who held what looked like, a cannon.  
"Boo ya..." the Merb said, with a grin, and pulled the trigger, releasing a wave of paintball pellets at them.  
Aerrow leapt into the air, and dodged the wall of paint, landed behind Stork. Instead of focusing on him, he released a couple of shots, and managed to hit the Merb twice, but once on his... armour?-If saucepans can be classed as such- before he dodged behind the open door and clambered upwards onto the roof.

Aerrow ducked inside the control room, and Radarr leapt from his shoulder, racing to the panels and shutting down the tracking system.  
Then there was a cry as Stork swung down through the door and landed, firing at Aerrow with a normal paintballing gun.  
Aerrow managed to dive out of the way, and Radarr did as well, as the inside of the control room was spattered with blue paint.  
Radarr and Aerrow fired back, but Stork managed to leap out of the way and down behind the Condor's steering column.  
Aerrow ran around the outside of the room, still firing, and managed to clip Stork on the leg, causing yelp and a curse, and resulting in another volley of shots.  
Radarr managed to shoot Stork for a third time, and the Condor blared out a beep, letting the others know someone was down.  
The others chose this moment to run in and start firing.  
Seeing that Stork was out, they all focused their fire on Aerrow and Radarr, who crouched behind the stacking shelves in the corner.  
Aerrow cursed as his gun clicked on empty, and reloaded as Radarr continued firing.  
Didn't change the fact that they were trapped. Or so he thought, until Ace's voice sounded above him, through a small trapdoor he hadn't ever seen before.  
"Move it! This leads to the engine room. It's a tight fit though..."  
Aerrow shoved Radarr up first, still firing with Ace, then swung up himself, giving the others a chance to get a bit ahead before he stopped firing. Then he hastily shuffled along. It took a few minutes for him to get to the end of the long tunnel, but he eventually dropped down into the engine room.  
"Seems you do know every inch of this ship. I didn't actually know about that one."  
Ace shrugged.  
"Seems we're gonna have to talk about that. They following?"  
"No. They're gonna try and get the tracker back on. I know it."  
"Then we can use that to our advantage," Ace said, grinning. "Two of us can have a blade, and split them off. They'll likely split into pairs."  
"Normally Finn and Junko team up," Aerrow agreed, then frowned. "But they will probably change that plan. Piper and Junko and then Finn and Arya most likely..."  
"So if there are three of us, they can only focus on two... If they stay in pairs."  
"But they could always gang up on each of us..."  
Radarr chattered and they both looked at him as he acted out a little dance.  
Aerrow translated as best he could.  
"Other... No wait, Glitch... Glitch is working with the others. You want to deal with Glitch?"  
Ace nodded.  
"That leaves us free to worry about the others and not about a sky-monkey that could drop in at any time..."  
Aerrow nodded.  
"Okay Radarr. Here..." He threw him one of the crystals from his swords, and left the actual sword in a small cupboard so that he could collect it later.  
Radarr gave him a salute, then scampered up through the vents again and vanished from sight.  
Aerrow sighed.  
"So... Split up? Or wait till they spot us then do that?"  
"If they see us split, they will be more likely to do so themselves..."  
"Goodpoint..." Then Aerrow grinned. "But I think I know where to go when we do split. I can hide in the crystal stores. The spare strikers will mask the signature of my own...If they follow their normal pattern after that, they'll split up and search the condor alone..."  
"And we can track each one of them. I think I'll head for the supply stores. They'll need to restock sooner or later and I can find them that way..."  
"Right... Then we can keep in radio contact... Okay. Sounds like a Plan."  
On a whim, Aerrow opened a wide frequency on his com-link, and patched into the Condor's tannoy system, trying to hear out for the others.  
What he heard made him grin.

"Okay... Junko, get the thing up and running..." That was Piper. "Finn? I have no doubt they'll try to split up. But they don't know we're tracking them with the crystal signatures, so we can be sure to find Aerrow... And most likely Radarr."  
"And that just leaves us with Ace... Damn, that guy is sneaky. He must know as many of the Condors passages as Aerrow..."  
"Then maybe we can use that. Find a schematic of the ship..."  
Ace grinned at that, and pulled a folded map from his pocket.  
"Does she mean this schematic? It's the detailed one with the Condor's smaller passages and vents. The other only has the basic layout, and a few of the passages. If they're using those, we can stake them out."  
Aerrow grinned.  
"I'm permanently calling dibs on you for when we have paintball or laser tag matches. Just saying..."  
They shut up as Finn spoke again.  
"Okay... There is one in the kitchens, one on the supply rooms and a few others dotted around the ship, like the one in the hangar bay... And the one from the control room. Apparently it leads to the training rooms..."  
Aerrow glanced at Ace, eyebrows raised.  
"Okay, I may have made some small adjustments," Ace said, defensively, "But It's not my fault I'm competitive... I only changed this one though... That's why I took so long to get to the hangar bay at the start."  
"Are you kidding? This is great!"  
Piper's voice rang clear again.  
"Okay... Finn, make sure we all have enough ammunition, and Get ready to move out. Oh, and Junko? You done?"  
"Hold on..." the wallop said, then aha'd. "Got it. Tracking them now... Only there are two dot's Piper..."  
"Ace... And Aerrow and Radarr... Has to be... I don't know why they split up the swords though... Do you think they know?"  
Finn snorted.  
"He hasn't figured it out yet, I'm sure it's just chance."  
"Okay..."Pipers voice again, "Oh, wait. Junko! Jam the Condors intercom! I don't want them listening in!"  
The channel went silent, but Aerrow and Ace grinned.  
This was going perfectly.

The two waited for several minutes, then heard the others voices murmuring. Apparently, they had decided to go for the stationary beacon.  
Ace and Aerrow grinned as they took positions either side of the door, and the others burst in, running to the centre of the room.  
The two of them gave a whistle, fired a few shots, and then ran in opposite directions.  
Aerrow, as he swung around the corner and into the vent above his head, heard Piper shouting.  
"Junko! You're with me! Finn, Arya, Get after Aerrow!"  
Aerrow grinned as Finn and Arya ran beneath him, obviously thinking he had run, and he slowly backed up, along the vent.  
A few minute later and he dropped into the corridor outside the crystal stores.  
He darted inside, and crouched behind the rows of crystals, his black outfit blending in perfectly with the dimness of the room.  
He and Ace had agreed on ten minutes of radio silence, but it was nearly fifteen when Ace checked in.  
"Sorry... Piper's fast... You get out alright?"  
"In position. You?"  
"Yeah. Finn looked low on Ammo. He'll probably head to stock up soon."  
"Keep me posted..."  
The link went dead, and Aerrow was silent as he waited for the next message to come through.  
He didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes later and the line buzzed back.  
"Finn and Arya just stocked up. They are heading to patrol the back end of the ship. Piper and Junko are focusing on the front end and trying to track your crystal signature. Radarr is moving too fast for them to bother catching him. I think they know what he's up to though..."  
"But there is nothing they can do about it. And that means Finn and Arya are moving this way?"  
"Looks like. I'm gonna follow them."  
"I'll keep a look out this end. Watch yourself."  
"Will do."  
The link cut out again, and Aerrow stayed still, straining to hear the sound of footsteps.  
Before long, he heard them, and crouched down, ready to fire.  
Then he heard Finn's link blare into life.  
"Finn!" Piper's voice, "We know Aerrow knows of the tracking. That means he could be in the crystal storerooms! We're heading up there now, just stay away!"  
Aerrow burst out from where he was hiding and fired at the pair.  
Finn scrambled back, one arm firing and one arm with the link.  
"Too late for that Piper!"

Both Finn and Arya kept up the barrage of fire, but Aerrow managed to hit Arya twice. Unfortunately, he could only seem to hit Finn's armour.  
Finn also managed to get a blast off at Aerrow, hitting him in the shoulder and splattering the outfit with paint. Ace chose that moment to swing into view and start firing too.  
With the both of them, Arya got another hit and Condora blazed out another alarm, but she had still managed to shoot Ace in the leg. Ace also managed to hit Finn's arm, splattering his entire left side with paint and causing him to yelp.  
Finn, now on his own, had just backed around the corner, not wanting to risk a third hit, when Piper and Junko ran into view.  
The shoot out continued, but they all froze when Glitch and Radarr fell from the vents, throwing chickens at each other, and each having two splatters of paint on them.  
Just as they were in the middle of the hall, Radarr managed to hit the other sky-money again, and she scampered out of the way, up to the lounge, where they always congregated after they had been shot out.  
Radarr joined in the resulting shoot out, and managed to avoid being hit a third time.  
Three minutes later, with them having resorted to blasting at each other from around corners at either end of the corridors, and Piper had been hit once, Junko was hit twice more, making it three, and Ace had two splatters of blue covering him, to Aerrow's one.  
Eventually, Piper called for a retreat, and the two teams separated.

Ace and Radarr branched off, with the plan that the others wouldn't be expecting it, and that that way, both group had an equal number of lives.  
Aerrow had given both of his blades to Ace and Radarr, knowing that they others would assume that it was him, and was keeping up with the two of them from the relative safety of the different vents and passages throughout the Condor.  
The plan was simple. If they encountered the other two, Aerrow would shoot from above, whilst the others fired from the ground.  
When it came to that, though, it didn't quite work out that way.  
Piper and Finn were in opposite doorways and started blasting as soon as they rounded the corner.  
Aerrow span around the corner of the vent, but Ace gave him the signal to stay put.  
He and Radarr continued firing, but the attack had caught them by surprise.  
Radarr got a third hit, and Ace managed to get another shot in at Piper, making her total up to two., before he got hit as well. Two beep sounded out in sequence, and Aerrow understood, He wouldn't have been fast enough. He took advantage of the fire to load a fresh clip, and cricked his neck as Ace and Radarr head off to the lounge.  
That meant it was just him, vs. Finn and Piper. Aerrow grinned as they scanned around for him.  
This was gonna be good.

He positioned himself, silently, to break through the vent and dropdown, as the others were still there, obviously knowing he was nearby.  
He took a deep breath, then kicked at the vent, causing it to curst open, and dropped through, landing in a crouch and firing as he vanished around a corner.  
Piper, however, had already got in a shot, and Aerrow scowled. One more and he was out.  
He fired around the corner again, and a blare from Condora let him know he had hit someone.  
From the way Finn cursed, Aerrow realised that it had been Piper, and took a deep breath.  
The last time it was him vs. Finn, the thing went on for hours... Apparently, the same thing occurred to Finn, who called out.  
"Hey, I really don't want to be running around at midnight this time..."  
"You're not the only one!"  
Aerrow called out, and crouched down, reaching around the corner and firing. He hit he armour on Finn's leg, Piper having already left, and span back around as Finn returned fire.  
He waited for the barrage to lay off, then peered around again, seeing that Finn had taken refuge behind the opposite wall at the other end of the corridor.  
Another stalemate, Aerrow groaned in his head, Great...  
For a few minutes, they exchanged fire, and Aerrow had to reload, using the almost empty clip h had ejected before.  
He knew that Finn would be running low too, and had no intention of letting this become a tie.  
He took a deep breath, stilling himself, and waited for Finn's shots to stop.  
In the split second after he head the dull click, Aerrow span around and fired, catching Finn on the shoulder.  
Condora blared out for the final time,  
"Aerrow wins... Though I don't think anyone's surprised there..."  
Aerrow gave a huge sigh as Finn gave him a grudging high-five, and they made their way up to the others.  
"We have to do that again soon," Aerrow said, grinning as they entered the room, and he was greeted with several assertions from the paint spattered figures in the room, who were all grinning and eating cake.

Piper shoved a piece in his mouth, rolling her eyes, and Aerrow nearly choked as he swallowed it.  
"Shut up and eat, before Finn demands a rematch..."  
They all sat down, and commented on each other's performance, and what had actually happened.  
Piper had been rather put out when she had heard of Ace's foresight with regards to the schematics, and had grudgingly complimented him on it. She was also irritated when she found out they had been too slow in shutting down the intercom. Never-the-less, she had had to congratulate them on their plans, something the others were quick to agree to, and Aerrow grinned as Radarr slipped another video-tape into the player.  
Yet more pranks... And soon enough, they were all laughing despite themselves.

Aerrow grinned. Piper was curled up next to him on the sofa, the others all ranged around on chairs of lounging on the floor, chatting or joking.  
Aerrow let himself slip into a light doze as he realised that this was, by far, the best weekend he could remember...  
_

**So... Not much more chillaxing to go now, and they will be back in the thick of it. **

**Oh, and 30 CHAPTERS! I cant believe it, you guys are amazing for sticking with me through this!  
(Especially crazychick14, who's reviews have been amazing and whose patience astounds me...)**

**Please review and let me know what you think of the chapter, and I will be uploading as soon as I can...  
Though It may be a couple of days, as I have other work to do, as well as other fanfics I've put on hold to do the recent updates for this one :D  
Though I do intend to be much more regular with my updates from now on...And I mean it this time...**

**Till next time, Raven xx**


	31. Chapter 31

Aerrow opened his eyes, blearily, to find that he was still on the sofa. Piper was still curled up next to him, sleeping, and the clock on the other side of the room said it was almost three in the morning.  
He'd slept through the entire evening and most of the night?  
Wow.  
He yawned and let himself slip off again, knowing he may as well get the sleep whilst he could.

Piper opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn't as she gave a huge yawn.  
Realising she was still in the living room, she yawned again and realised she was huddled next to Aerrow, who was still sleeping.  
She carefully, so as not to wake him, got to her feet, and grinned as she saw Aerrow yawn and relax even further, both hands on his stomach as he stretched across the half of the sofa, his red hair sticking out all over the place and falling across his face.  
It was good that he was getting some sleep at last. He had gotten so little of it over the course of the last few years, and what he did get was irregular and light.  
This was the first time she had seen him actually sleeping deeply for a few months now.  
She carefully tiptoed out of the room and head for the kitchens, where Finn, Junko and Ace were arguing about the puzzle cube again.  
"Look," Finn stated, "I am not going to stop until I have completed it!"  
Ace snatched it away and sighed, turning and moving his hands rapidly for a couple of minutes until he span around again, handing Finn the completed cube.  
"There, done. Now can we drop it?"  
Finn cursed,  
"That is so not fair! How can you do it do fast?"  
"I've always liked puzzles."  
Junko spoke up as Finn shook the puzzle back to its starting point and started jabbing pieces in all directions.  
"Ah, so more of the elusive life of Ace comes to light!"  
"You could just ask, you know..."  
"Nah, this way's more fun!" Then he caught sight of Piper. "Oh, morning Piper! Where's Aerrow?"  
"Still sleeping."  
"Bout time. He hasn't slept properly in ages..."  
Piper nodded and Finn rolled his eyes.  
"Can't really blame him though. What with everything and all..."  
Piper rolled her eyes as well, and shook her head.  
"Everything and all? Wow, you really need to widen your vocabulary Finn..."  
"Damn.. Puzzle..." Piper realised he wasn't listening as a rooster popped from the cube and crowed until Finn slammed another piece across the top, and sat down at the table, accepting a cup of Olaberry juice from Junko.  
They all watched Finn, amused by the different things that kept popping from the cube, for several minutes until Ace 'hmm'ed.  
"Piper? Do you have any odd metal sheets around? And a welding torch... Oh, and magnets?"  
She blinked.  
"Err... I think so... Why?"  
"You'll see..."  
"Oh... okay. Junko? I'm gonna show Ace where they are and grab a shower. Please make sure Finn doesn't do anything too stupid?"  
"You got it Piper."

The two left and visited two store rooms where Ace grabbed some sheets of metal, a welding torch, a knife to cut the metal and several different magnets. She then left him in one of the workrooms, with a shake of the head as he simply told her that he was making something that would better all their lives, and head off to take a shower.  
As she dressed and came out of the one in her room, the only en-suite in the Condor that the others had insisted she have, running a hand through her hair to try and make it stick up instead of falling over her back, she head over to the other side of the room to check on the crystals she had been experimenting with.  
After checking a magnetic crystal she was combining with a new crystal from the far side that stored energy(hoping to create some kind of magnetic crystal that could hold energy until it hit metal then exploded) and finding that she would have to try a new combination, she moved on to another of her experiments.  
To her delight, she found that the floater had harmonized perfectly with the residual energy of the helix stone, and was now much more powerful. She grinned as she picked it up, then blinked.  
She had just touched a magnetiser...  
She only had time to sigh before she was lifted into the air and floated up to the ceiling, cursing her luck, and trying t find a way down.  
Half an hour later, and she was getting tired of spinning and trying to manoeuvre herself to grab a blocking crystal, and had resolved to sit, scowling and legs crossed, with her head pressed against the ceiling.  
She was like that for five minutes until she heard footsteps coming her way.  
"Oh... please don't let this be Finn..." she muttered, "Don't let this be Finn..."  
But the voice that accompanied the knock had her filled with relief.  
"Piper?  
"Aerrow! Help?"  
He blinked as he walked in, then gave a grin.  
"Floaters again?"  
"Yeah... Can you grab a blocking crystal? The magnetic one I touched is messing with my binding skills..."  
"Hang on..." He head over and sifted through the crystals until he found a small box of blocking crystals in the top draw.  
He head over and passed it to Piper.  
She grabbed it, pressing it against the floater that had attached itself to her hand, and gave a yelp as she fell.  
She didn't fall far.  
Aerrow's, not at all surprisingly, strong arms caught her, and he gave a laugh as he lowered her to the floor.  
"What did I say about experimenting with floaters?"  
"Hope to hell Finn doesn't find me when I'm stuck to the ceiling?"  
"Aside from that?"  
"Make sure I have a blocking crystal ready, I know... I wasn't expecting it, that's all. Anyway, how long have you been awake?"  
"Not long. Long enough to go to the kitchen, find Finn hunched in the corner with that cube and escape again. Why does Ace need metal and what not again?"  
"No clue... He wouldn't say. He's still in the workroom?"  
"From what I can tell..."  
"Wow, that makes an hour..."  
"Then let's go find out what he's up to."  
They both head out, and Aerrow smirked as Piper kept messing with her hair, getting it to stand right, eventually giving a sigh and scooping her up, spinning her around and then setting her on her feet again, her hair now back to normal.  
"There. Sorted."  
She grinned.  
"Looks like you've got yourself a new job."  
"Great... More work... Not that I mind, of course..."  
She grinned, rolling her eyes, and continued down the corridor.  
Aerrow grinned as he caught up with her and her hand subconsciously slipped into his, causing them both to grin, as Aerrow used it to spin her around again, saying it was something she was going to have to get used to.  
They continued messing about until they got to the workroom, where they both stopped, in the doorway, and blinked at the sight that met their eyes.

Ace, sleeves rolled up and wearing thick gloves, with a face shield flipped back over the top of his head, was surrounded by several different shaped pieces of metal, which had magnets at random places and small slots everywhere. He was currently sat on one of the chairs, squinting carefully , as he carefully slotted two pieces of the metal together.  
He then grabbed another… and another… and another, slotting them all together in an intricate way until the last piece was gone and he stood up, taking off the mask and pulling off the gloves.  
Then he turned and saw the others, and blinked, then grinned.  
"Morning Aerrow. Help me get that cube away from Finn for a moment?"  
"Why…?"  
"Oh, well, I always used to like doing puzzles, but moved on to making them when I was a kid. This one is big enough to hold that damn cube in. If we can get it in there, he'll have to open the box to get it back, meaning we can escape the noises that keep exploding from it. It's irritating the hell out of me..."  
Aerrow and Piper blinked, then grins morphed over their faces.  
The very thought was evil…  
And great.  
Aerrow rubbed his hands together, relishing the challenge.  
"Piper? Let's grab that cube."

The plan was simple. They had already roped Junko into it, and were all set with some of Finn's various records.  
They drop them all over the floor, Finn drops the cube in his haste to save them from being stepped on, and they grab it.  
Simple.  
And it actually went exactly according to plan. Down to the look on Finn's face and everything.  
"W-What? In the box? Goddamn it I hate you all! I hate you! I-Ooh. This is fun…"  
With that, he sat and started messing with the box, tongue sticking from the corner of his mouth, in blessed silence.  
The others all slumped down, relieved, just as Arya walked in.  
"What's with all the fuss?"  
They all told her and she grinned at the sight of Finn.  
"How long does it take people, on average, to unlock that box?"  
Ace grinned.  
"That one took me almost three days to figure out. Then three months to learn how to make it."  
The others all stared, then relaxed even further, secure in the knowledge that they wouldn't have to worry about that cube for a couple of weeks at least.  
Blessed silence on the Condor… That is, until Condora's voice broke the silence.  
"Just got in a message from Terra Districtus. They need us there, asap."  
"Did they say why?" Aerrow asked, getting to his feet.  
"No. Only that it involved a new threat related to Cyclonia…"  
Aerrow sighed.  
"Looks like breaks over. Condora? Chart a course."  
"On it. We'll be there by the middle of the afternoon. Oh, and something else. It involves some Atmosian that appeared a few years ago, far side time, called Domowick?"  
Aerrow flinched and turned to Piper, who's face had slipped into a scowl.  
Great...  
As if twice wasn't enough, now that had to deal with the guy yet again... Ah well, third time lucky... he hoped...

A few hours later, and they were all on the bridge as Districtus came into sight.  
They landed in the same clearing as before, and Stork, Ace and Junko stayed on the Condor as the others head out, ready to come up with a plan if anything went awry on the Terra.  
They had literally had to yank Finn away from the puzzle cube, and he as now sulking slightly as they rode towards the main city. Glitch was riding with Arya, as Radarr was riding with Aerrow, and they had managed to pull slightly in front, leaving Piper to deal with the sulking Finn.  
Eventually, it took a promise that if he didn't complain for the rest of the day concerning the cube or the box, he could play whatever music he liked for the entire next day.  
Aerrow had gladly taken the deal, as he could wear noise mufflers on the Condor. Here? Not so much...  
They pulled to a halt in front of the main hall, and were met by one of five elders that presided over the Terra.  
"Omar."Aerrow said, nodding his head, and the old man nodded back.  
"Thank you for arriving so quickly, Storm Hawks. The information we have is of vital importance."  
"Then let's not waste anymore time."  
The old man led them into the hall and they sat around the table as a younger pair of men lay several maps over the top.  
Omar jabbed a finger at a Terra on the maps, and began talking.  
"Three days ago, we heard of some kind of operation that was going on, on the Terra. The person who managed to escape to warn s is still in critical condition, but he delivered his message. Earlier in the week, a squadron of Talon's invaded the Terra. Arca was at the head of the force... It appears that she has truly joined with Cyclonis..." The man seemed to snap back and coughed, continuing,  
"They have since enlisted the service of an Atmosian that managed to find his way here through the subterranean tunnels... His name is Domowick. Do you know of him?"  
Aerrow nodded.  
"Unfortunately... We have encountered him in Atmos twice before, and each time he was in search of riches or fame..."  
"Snobbish, uptight, pompous Cyclonian stooge..." Piper muttered under her breath, and the old man blinked, before clearing his throat.  
"Quite... Anyway, He has spent his time, since he arrived here, tracking down a library that is the stuff of treasure hunters. It contains countless scrolls on the Far Side's history, and several scrolls written by the Crystal mages of legend. Their power was formidable. He has since joined Cyclonian forces and they are forcing the population of the Terra to work for them in their search. If Cyclonis should get her hands on the knowledge in those books, she could easily control both us and those in the Atmos. We can't let her get those scrolls..."  
Piper had sat bolt upright, and was looking eager to know more.  
"Are there any books or clues that would tell us the location of the library?"  
"Only old riddles and maps that have long since lost meaning as the Terra's have reshaped themselves over the years..."  
Aerrow nodded.  
"Well, it's a start. We'll chart a course immediately. Cyclonis cannot be allowed to get her hands on those scrolls. Finn? Arya? Head back to the Condor and report to the others. Get Stork to plot a course and be ready to leave when me and Piper get there. Radarr, you go with them."  
They nodded and ran out, as Aerrow turned back to Omar.  
"We're gonna need those riddles and maps. If anyone can decipher them, Piper can."  
The old man nodded.  
"This way..."

Twenty minutes later and they were heading back to the Condor, two sacks full of scraps of paper and old books along with them.  
As soon as they got back to the Condor, it lifted off and they were on their way. Piper and Aerrow both head up to the console room and Aerrow deposited the bags on the table, where Piper hastily began unpacking the contents and placing them in piles and orders according to things only she could understand.  
The others left her to it, and started formulating a plan.  
The Terra was at least several hours away, meaning that they would arrive late during the night, so they wouldn't be able to do anything until the morning anyway.  
Then they decided to spend a few hours doing recon before they came up with anything conclusive, though they had a basic plan. If Piper had deciphered the riddles, they could go in, if not, then Aerrow, Ace and Finn would disguise themselves as Talons and snoop around.  
Junko and Stork couldn't accompany them, as they would stick out too much, and Arya was the only other one who had the faintest hope of helping Piper out.  
Ace was surprised when he heard that they had a hangar full of Talon uniforms, and Finn shrugged, simply saying that they had never felt the need to throw them out after knocking out their owners. They also had several talon spears, much to Ace's amusement, as he figured out how they had managed to sneak around during the past couple of years.  
As the others settled down to try and get a couple of hours rest, Aerrow felt the familiar feeling that told him he wouldn't be getting any proper sleep till this was over, and he sat next to Piper, who was feverishly leafing through books and checking on references to riddles and maps, along with Arya, and sighed, pulling a few pieces towards him. He may not be Piper, but he wasn't completely useless...  
It was going to be a long night...  
A few hours later, and Aerrow had had his head down on the table, watching Piper, for almost an hour on end, having given up on deciphering the symbols as one of his migraines set in. He hadn't had one in a while, but when he did, they were not good...  
Night had fallen, Arya and the others had left to sleep, and he knew that Piper would be having one of her sleepless nights, up till about three or four in the morning, and late wake-ups, hence his decision to stay at the table.  
This wasn't the first time they had had a night like this after all... They were too numerous to count.  
Ace was also sat there, at the other end, but was dozing lightly, and Aerrow felt himself yawning as his eyes dropped closed. He forced them to stay open, but they sank again before long, and he decided to just let it go and get a few hours rest, knowing that Piper would lay her head down too before long.  
They would definitely need all the rest they could get...


	32. Chapter 32

Aerrow tugged at the outfit he was wearing, scowling. How did the Talon's wear these things? They were so awkward. He knew it was only a Chroma material illusion, but still...  
Ace, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine, and Aerrow scowled. At least Finn was also suffering…  
They were in the same disguises that they had worn to the first Cyclonian base.  
Aerrow, wearing the Talon outfit and holding one of the spears, had black hair, which was considerably less scruffy than normal, thanks to Piper.  
Radarr, hidden by an invisibility crystal, was holding his swords, keeping them invisible, and was also lugging around Finn's crossbow. Speaking of Finn, the-now with dark purple hair and a small goatee- Aerrow gave him the signal, and he branched off with Ace. He and Radarr took off in the other direction.  
As plans went, this one was simple. Hide in plain sight, pick up information and report back to the Condor.  
Simple…  
But, almost immediately, Finn tripped over a crate and yelped, falling to the floor. Thankfully, the other Talon's thought nothing of it as Finn got up and held a hand up.  
"Sorry men… Bit on the clumsy side…"  
They all turned back to what they were doing, and Aerrow exchanged a relieved Grin with Finn, before focusing on what exactly it was that they _were_ doing.  
Apparently, loading all sorts of crates onto a ship. Lord knows why…  
Time to find out.  
Aerrow signalled for the other two to check out the crates and head in the other direction, to where most of the action seemed to be taking place, towards the centre of the Terra.  
As he got closer, the noise got louder, and he turned finally turned a corner to see a chain of men, all chained, digging into a cliff face.  
He was just about to head forwards, when he felt a tugging on his leg and looked down to where he knew Radarr would be shaking his head.  
"Don't worry buddy, I'm just going to get a closer look…"

It was pathetic how easy it was to sneak around the camp. No-one spared him a second glance, and he was soon crouched, hidden, behind a tent that he had seen Domowick and Arca enter, straining to hear what was being said.  
"Well, I'm sorry Captain," he heard Domowick saying, in that pompous snobbish voice he hated so much… "But all the clues we have recently discovered would point to the library being on a different Terra, close by, but still different."  
"Very well, we will take some men… But if you are wrong, you will have Cyclonis to answer to. She does not take lightly to time being wasted…"  
Aerrow hung back as they exited the tent, then slowly kept up with them, subtly sending a short message to Finn.  
"Finn! They're preparing to head to a different Terra. Heading back your way…"  
"You got it… But you're gonna want to see this, Aerrow…"  
Aerrow blinked as the line disconnected, and sighed, casually overtaking the pair in front of him and heading back to where he had left the others. He was met with the sight of Finn, holding out a diamond to him.  
"Aerrow, several of the crates are full of them. We think they may have discovered so kind of old treasure chamber."  
"Wow… But they haven't found the library. I overheard Domowick saying he thinks it is on a Terra near here, though, and Arca is preparing men to leave."  
Ace frowned.  
"We can't let them get away…"  
"Which is why I'm going to sneak in amongst the men. You guys head back to the Condor and tell Stork to follow the signal from the trackers."  
Finn nodded, and Radarr jumped onto his back… well, Aerrow assumed he had, seeing as Finn gave a little groan and his right shoulder sank a bit.  
"You got it. Keep an eye out."  
"Will do." Aerrow caught the swords that Radarr threw to him, before vanishing, slotting them into the boots he was wearing, counting on the Chroma crystal to disguise he had them.  
Ace blinked.  
"Is he always like this? You know, act now, think later?"  
"Yup… And you're going with him, aren't you…" It wasn't so much a question as a statement, and Ace nodded.  
"I think he still has to get used to the whole 'not being a lone ranger' thing."  
"Good luck with that. Oh, and don't die? Otherwise you won't be able to see me unravel your metal work…"  
Ace rolled his eyes,  
"Not happening... I'm just too good. Watch yourself…"  
With that, he ran after Aerrow, and left Finn and Radarr to head back to the Condor and get the others ready to leave.  
Or rather, take a slight detour and casually sweep several of the diamonds and random other jewels into his pockets and a small bag before sauntering off, whistling.

Ace scowled as he lost sight of Aerrow and slowed his pace, grouping himself with the men who were piling onto the battleship, which he had just seen Arca and Domowick head onto.  
As soon as he was on, he slipped off, and skirted around the edge, watching as everyone scattered into different corridors.  
Great. Now how would he find Aerrow? He head of after another group, and realised that the cruisers were pretty much laid out the same as the ones he was used to. That would come in handy… He slipped out his link.  
"Aerrow? Where the hell are you?"  
"Where the hell are you?"  
"On the ship."  
"Oh… Okay then. Where?"  
"That's what I'm asking you…"  
"Oh, I'm just following behind Arca and Domowick. Had a friendly conversation with the contingency of guards they have. Apparently, my name is Harold."  
"Harold…? Hang on, so where are you headed?"  
"How do I know? You're the one who knows these ships. I just help blow them up..."  
"… Fair point-"  
"Wait… On the bridge. Or rather, in the doorway. Gotta go… I'm on guard duty…"  
The link went dead with the sound of a thud... which sounded suspiciously like someone hitting the floor.  
Ace scowled, part amused, part irritated and pretty impressed.  
Aerrow was a fast worker.  
And at least now he knew where to go…  
Turning on his heel, he head back up through the ship, towards the bridge.

Aerrow casually dragged the prone form of the guard into a cupboard behind the panelling and shoved the door closed. He then quickly rounded the corner and slipped into the place he had vacated.  
No-one was even the faintest bit suspicious, and he easily swept into the room with the others.  
However, as Arca and Domowick left their guards outside the bridge, Aerrow realised he would have to improvise... well even more so than he was currently doing.  
He considered for a few seconds, then noticed a wide pipe running around the corner. And where there were pipes...  
He peeked around the corner and grinned.  
... There were vents.  
He casually slipped away and launched himself at the vent, hanging on and peering through the gaps, to see Arca and Domowick. He cursed as he heard that they were nearing the Terra, and listened in on their plans to find the library. It was just getting to the interesting point, something about booby traps, when a hand grasped his ankle and he was pulled down.  
He stifled a cry as his ankle twisted as it hit the floor, and spun over to see two spears pointing at him.  
"Err... Hi?"  
"What do you think you're doing?"  
"Err... I, well, um... Oh, hey!"  
They both span to where he was looking, to see Ace, grinning, before his fist connected with one of their faces and he fell to the floor.  
Aerrow wrapped a foot around the other and sent him tumbling to the floor as well, where his face connected with Aerrow's outstretched knee and he, too, fell over unconscious.  
"Typical..." Ace said, holding out a hand to Aerrow and pulling him to his feet, "The one time I come across some half decent guards, and I have to knock them out..."  
"Yeah... Thanks for that."  
"Don't mention it. You know you're gonna have to get used to having a partner aside from Radarr on these little improvised missions?"  
"Huh... That may take some getting used to..."  
"Tell me about it. You're not the only one who is used to working solo, you know."  
"Huh. Good poi- Look out!"  
Aerrow shoved Ace to the other side of the corridor and leapt backwards as a blast raced past them, and they both turned to see a squad of guards looking at them, all armed with spears that held stronger crystals than Aerrow had seen before.  
"Right..."  
"Okay then... Run?"  
"Sounds good," Ace said, nodding, just as the guards called out a battle cry and ran towards them.  
They both turned and ran towards the end of the corridor, Aerrow letting Ace take the lead seeing as he knew the layout of these ships, and firing random bolts back at the guards from the blade he had managed to pull out whilst running.  
In hindsight, they would realise that it would have been smarter to stay and bluff their way out, but, at the time, running had seemed the much more fun option.  
Aerrow gritted his teeth as his ankle, where he had fallen to the floor-it being the same leg that was injured in their recent encounter with Cyclonis- and kept on moving, ignoring the sharp twinges of pain.  
He and Ace got a pretty decent head start as Aerrow threw Ace his blade and he sliced through one of the ceiling panels, blocking the way.  
They had just rounded the corner when a particularly bad spasm jerked Aerrow's ankle and he gasped, leaning against the wall for a second.  
Ace halted and winced at the way Aerrow's ankle was swelling.  
"I'd drop the Chroma disguise. It's not like it's gonna help anyway..."  
Aerrow nodded, and dropped the crystal to the floor, deactivating it.  
He felt slightly better as the pressure on his ankle wore off slightly, and he pulled his other blade out, just as they heard footsteps behind them.  
Ace likewise dropped his disguise, and cursed as the footsteps drew closer.  
"Can you move?"  
"I've had worse..."  
Almost at the same time, they noticed the ventilation shafts, and shared a grin.  
Within seconds, they were both crouched in one of the shafts, staring through the grate as the squad ran below them.  
Aerrow gave a sigh and leant backwards, wincing as his ankle twinged again, and Ace sighed.  
"We could stay put, then head out once the ship lands."  
"They'll have guard everywhere."  
"Not _every_where..."  
Aerrow grinned.  
"You have _got _to show me how to sneak around these ships... No, you keep a hold of it." He said, as Ace went to hand his other blade back.  
"Not one for tradition?" Ace asked, referring to the fact that Sky knights would normally be the only ones to fight with their blades, and Aerrow shrugged.  
"Just living in the moment. But don't you dare damage her..."  
"Her?"  
"I dunno. Just seemed appropriate." Aerrow suddenly laughed quietly, "The only things that are missing from this scene are the Sky-knights faces, in Atmos, if they just saw me giving one of my blades to Dark Ace... They're all sticklers for formality and tradition and all that... Oh, and paintball guns."  
Ace grinned.  
"I would pay to see that... And yeah. Shame. Paint would just make the whole thing better..."  
"Sarcasm?"  
"Funnily enough, no."  
The ship gave a light lurch as it began to descend, and Ace scanned the corridor, finding it empty.  
"Ready to move?"  
"Ready as you are..."  
"Then let's go."

Ace slid the vent open and slid out, followed by Aerrow, who, Ace noticed, though he tried to hide it, favoured his right leg when landing.  
He didn't mention it, however, and they both head up through the ship, through the less used passageways.  
They reached the hangar bay with only a couple of interruptions, who were now nice and snug in dreamland, and crouched down as they saw everyone making preparations to unload.  
Aerrow grabbed his link and messaged the Condor.  
"Aerrow to the Condor..."  
_"Aerrow?"_ Piper's voice. "_Thank Atmos, we were worried. Has Ace found you?"_  
"Right here with me. We're in the hangar bay of the ship. Did you manage to track us?"  
_"Camo tech is on, and we're pretty close."_  
"Domowick and Arca?"  
_"Just left. We're all prepping to follow."_  
"Ok. Leave our rides behind the ship. We'll catch you up."  
_"You got it. Be careful you two..."_  
"Was there ever any doubt?"  
The link blinked out and Ace rolled his eyes.  
"From the guy with a busted ankle..."  
"Hey, I can walk on it."  
"Can you run on it?"  
"Possibly... Why?"  
"Because it's clear."

They both broke cover and ran across the hangar, diving behind the next set of crates.  
Then they did the same thing again... and again.  
Aerrow grinned as they ducked behind the pile closest to the doors.  
"Hey, that was fun!"  
"Fun's not over yet... Ready?"  
"Yup. Three... two... one... g-oh shit!"  
They both ducked as Cyclonis appeared, and Aerrow hastily brought up his link.  
"Guys? Be careful. Cyclonis is here..."  
_"Damn it... Okay. Watch it..."_  
"No need to tell me that..."  
He switched off the link and they both sidled into the corner, in the shadows and out of the way.  
"Chroma crystals?" Aerrow whispered, an Ace nodded.  
"Better had."  
They both activated the crystals, and Aerrow had to stifle a hiss of pain as his ankle was squeezed by the changed outfit.  
"You alright?"  
"I'm good... Just hurts like hell..."  
"And that's good?"  
"I'm not at imminent risk of dying, fainting or becoming comatose...?"  
"Fair point. So, hide or blag it?"  
"Which is the safest?"  
"Hide."  
"Then let's blag it."  
As Cyclonis was talking to Arca and Domowick, the two sidled over to a huge pile of crates, and, copying the actions of the group nearby, grabbed a couple and followed on.  
Aerrow really had to work to walk properly, without limping, and as they managed to get past Cyclonis and the others, and down the ramp, Ace managed to manoeuvre himself to shield Aerrow from sight, so that he could stop for a couple of seconds.  
He continued to position himself between Aerrow and the other men, until they got to the point where they could unload the crates, and the other men sauntered off, leaving them to duck behind the pile.  
Aerrow dropped the Chroma disguise as soon as they were out of sight, and slid to the floor, grimacing and clutching his ankle.  
Ace kept watch, then, when he was sure that no-one would be coming their way for a while, he helped Aerrow to his feet.  
"Come on. Let's get to the back of the ship. Hopefully the rides are there and you can rest up..."  
As it was, Aerrow was still limping significantly, even as he made the short bursts of sprinting between the trees on the outskirts of the landing space.

They finally made it to the back of the ship, and Aerrow sighed as he caught sight of the tell-tale shimmer of camouflage technology behind the trees.  
He head over, and his bike became visible at his touch, letting him gratefully slump down on the seat. He was tempted to pull off is boot, but he knew that his ankle would swell up too much. On the bright side, he didn't think it was fractured. More like he had torn something...  
Which Piper could heal with crystals easily enough.  
Speaking of Piper, the others suddenly appeared from the trees and she glared at him.  
"You didn't say you were hurt..."  
"It's nothing. Just my ankle..."  
"Damn it, Aerrow..."  
"Hey, I'm fine. Honest..."  
"Sorry," Ace said, butting in, "But I'm with Piper on this one. You can barely walk... Piper, can you take him back to the Condor and get him fixed up? We can follow them if they leave before you get back and you can follow on..."  
The others all stared at Aerrow, and he glared at them all, realising that they were giving him 'good plan, we're doing it no matter what you say' looks, but realised that he really couldn't fight in this state.  
"Okay... Fine."  
Finn, Junko, Stork and Piper blinked, and Radarr froze, all staring at him, incredulous.  
Then Finn spoke up.  
"W-What? Just like that? No arguments? Okay, who are you and what have you done with Aerrow?"  
Arya and Ace shrugged at each other, and Finn felt obliged to explain, as Stork muttered something about mind worms and started poking Aerrow randomly, as Piper tried to convince him that Aerrow did not have mind worms.  
"Well...You see, we get injured, it's back to the Condor. He gets injured, it's battle on or we knock him out...You can see why we're a little surprised."  
Aerrow rolled his eyes.  
"I am _not_ that bad. Anyway Pipes, are we leaving or not? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back."  
They both head off, though it was clear to everyone that Aerrow was not particularly happy with the arrangement, and the others settled down to keep an eye on things.

By the time they arrived back at the Condor, Aerrow was barely able to put wait on his ankle, and Piper helped him inside the hangar bay, sitting him on the crates.  
"Stay there, I'll be right back."  
She was back within two minutes, holding a med box.  
"We really need to start carrying one of those around with us..." Aerrow said, and bit back a cry as he pulled off his boot. Damn, that hurt. His ankle was swollen up, and Piper pursed her lips as she bandaged it up, using crystals and binding to speed up the reduction of the swelling.  
"Damn it Aerrow... It's not fractured or broken, but I think you've pulled a few muscles or tendons. Aside from that, it's a really bad twist... Should be okay in a few days..."  
"How about a few minutes?"  
"Aerrow, I don't think that-"  
"Piper, I am going."  
She looked at him, then sighed.  
"Fine... Just try not to put much weight on it..."  
She finished bandaging, wrapping it as tightly as she dared to help support it, and Aerrow sighed in relief as he pulled his boot back on. At least he could walk on it now...  
"Hey Piper?" he said, as they were mounting their rides again, "What do you reckon normal teenagers are doing round-about now?"  
"Probably hanging out... Having a laugh... Possibly Terra Neon, eating flame corn and sky dogs..."  
"Hmm... Normality..."  
"Terrifying thought, right?"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"More terrifying that Cyclonis in my opinion. Oh, and what about schools? Eurgh, I don't think I could cope..."  
Piper gave a dramatic shudder.  
"Yeah... Learning the same things I learnt when I was five..."  
"Hey, we can't all be one in a million geniuses who are doing complex calculations as toddlers..."  
"I was five, actually. Toddlers would imply I was a year younger."  
"Oh, a humble genius. How refreshing... Can we bring that up with Domowick before we whup his ass again?"  
"If I don't knock him out first, sure."  
"You're so cute when you're angsty..." Aerrow said, and ruined her attempt to scowl at him by giving her a quick kiss. "At least you can't stay angsty at me... It's not so cute when I'm the focus of the glaring..."  
This, of course, invited a glare, but before she could comment, the link crackled and Finn spoke up.

"_Guys? The others are moving out. We're gonna follow."  
_"You got it Finn. We'll be right behind you..."  
He said something that sounded suspiciously like stubborn bloody sky-knights, and Aerrow grinned.  
"What was that Finn?"  
"Nothing..." Then something, even more quietly, that sounded a lot like stubborn bloody sky-knights with ridiculous hearing...  
"Said stubborn bloody sky-knight with ridiculous hearing can still hear you Finn..."  
"Oh... Right. Catch you later Aerrow."  
He flicked the link off and Aerrow gave a grin that was half amused, half exasperated.  
"We'd better get going Pipes. They're moving out."  
"Aerrow? You know that this library was supposed to be booby-trapped with god knows what right?"  
"Like the Forbidden city?"  
"Worse..."  
"I bet Stork is having a field day..."  
"That's one way of putting it..."  
Aerrow grinned and gunned his ride, making it go faster. Piper did the same, and they both zipped through the trees, hoping to catch the others before they reached their location.  
Break into an ancient library that was booby trapped and possibly deadly?  
Here they went again...  
_

**Hope you enjoyed!**  
**Next chapter will have more action, more ass-whupping and more bromancey shizzle. And fluff... If I can slot it in :D**  
**Hope you approve!**


	33. Chapter 33

Aerrow and Piper caught the others just as they stopped.  
"What did we miss?"Aerrow asked, ducking down with the others, and Finn explained, leaving Junko and Ace to scan what was happening beyond the hedgerow.  
"They've just dismounted and are examining the cliff face... "  
"Err... Guys?" Junko motioned them over. "I think you're gonna want to see this."  
Aerrow crouched down and blinked.  
"Well... That's new..."  
The wall of the cliff was now covered in a variety of runes, and Domowick was stood there with a book, pointing to then individually and clearly trying to translate.  
Piper leaned forward, and broke into a grin.  
"It's old Atmosian! The symbols..." she said, in response to the black looks, "A lost language from hundreds of years ago from the Atmos... And one I happen to be virtually fluent in."  
Aerrow grinned at her.  
"That's my girl."  
Piper grinned, then focused on the symbols on the wall.  
"Hmm... Okay. The flare of the goddess will... light your way... follow the path forged by nature alone... into the paths of men you must not stray..."  
The others blinked, and then Arya grinned.  
"That goddess maybe?"  
They all looked to where she was pointing, and saw a depiction of a goddess carved into the cliff, her hand holding flames which were pointing at the sky.  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"Looks good to me... But she's pointing upwards."  
"Over the cliff top?" Piper offered, and Aerrow shrugged again.  
"Best plan we've got... Oh, look. They've brought drills again. Anyone else getting a sense of déjà vu?"  
All of them aside from Arya, Ace and Glitch nodded, and Stork sighed.  
"Can we take the Stork mobile this time? My trap disarming tools would have come in handy last time..."  
Finn rolled his eyes.  
"Great... Knowing our luck, you'll accidentally set off the missiles..."

Five minutes later and they were on top of the cliff, considering what to do now.  
Then Radarr started chirping and Aerrow head over, realising he was pointing to a small statue of flames half buried by weeds.  
"Nice going Radarr. Piper!"  
She ran over, and they cleared off the weeds, showing the small carvings on the base of the statue.  
She scanned the text, then reached up and looked at the flames, grasping one and pulling it down with a metallic screech.  
Immediately, the entire thing swung aside revealing a staircase heading down into the rock.  
Aerrow grinned, and took a few steps down. When he determined that nothing was going to leap out and eat him, he beckoned to the others.  
"Okay guys, let's move."  
Finn pushed ahead of him, then Junko did the same, leaving Arya and glitch to follow behind. Then Piper went, followed by Aerrow and Radarr, then Ace.  
As Ace ducked inside, the rock overhead closed, leaving them in the dark...  
Within moments, Aerrow had his blade up and lit, followed by Ace with his other one. Arya followed suit, and the warm, yellow glow of her own short blade helped illuminate the space, enough for them to continue down the naturally hewn steps.

They continued down for some time, until they came to a fork in the path.  
One way continued with a dangerous looking ramp, and the other with a smooth staircase.  
Finn snorted.  
"What kind of choice is that?" he asked, and took a step onto the staircase just as Piper called out 'No!'  
Immediately, the staircase formed into a ramp, and Finn yelled as he slid down, straight towards a pit full of very dangerous looking spikes.  
His yell, as he slipped over the edge, was cut short as a hand grabbed his arm and hoisted him up, holding him steady.  
Finn sighed in relief and gave Aerrow, who was holding onto his blade hilt as it jutted from the wall, a grin, getting a roll of the eyes in return as Aerrow braced himself against the wall with his feet, to keep hold of him.  
"Err... Nice catch?"  
"Thanks... Stork? You got a rope or something?"  
"The Stork-mobile is equipped with the latest in booby-trap technology and-"  
"Do you have a rope?"  
"Err... Let me just check that."  
The sound of several objects hitting the floor echoed down and Aerrow sighed. Typical.  
He gave a small pained gasp as his foot slipped, his ankle twinging, and he carefully started hauling Finn back over the edge, careful not to dislodge his blade.  
"Got it!" came Stork's voice, a few moments later, and a rope fell past them.  
Aerrow told Finn to grab a hold of it, then told him to get climbing.  
He did so, and then Aerrow followed suit, carefully dislodging his blade and sheathing it as the rope took his weight, and pulling himself up.  
"Finn! Stop kicking me in the face!"  
"Sorry, but we can't all be sky-knights..."  
"That's got nothing to do with it. You just need to have a decent work out instead of lounging about all day!"  
"Oh, well sor_ry_. But I just figure why bother when we have a wallop?"  
"Yes, but the wallop didn't just fall down a ramp and nearly get impaled on spikes!"  
"Oh, so now you're saying I should be smarter as well?"  
"If you were, you may be able to solve that puzzle cube..."  
Finn looked over his shoulder at Aerrow, who was grinning, and scowled, trying not to grin himself.  
"Low blow, dude... Low blow."  
A few minutes later and they were all heading down the rocky path, Piper having taken the lead with Aerrow.

As they reached the bottom, they spotted a set of thin tracks and Aerrow sighed.  
"Here we go again..."  
They all stayed at the edges of the tunnel, careful to test their weight before placing their feet on the cobbled stones, and slowly made their way down the tunnel.  
Then, of course, something had to go wrong.  
Radarr, having been on Aerrow's shoulder till now, swooped to avoid a low hanging vine, and caused Aerrow to lose his balance. Ace managed to steady him, and Finn gave a grin as they all sighed in relief.  
"Well, that was dramatic..." He span around, and bumped into Junko, sending the Wallop forward. The stone his foot landed on sank into the floor and a huge rumbling filled the tunnel, echoing from behind them.  
Aerrow only had time to sigh as dozens of large solid rocks rolled their way, before they were all running.  
They managed to outpace the rocks for a few moments, until Junko managed to smash through a wall and most of them jumped through. Of course, this set off a chain reaction, sending more rocks tumbling from all direction. Aerrow, who was helping steady Piper as a tremor sent her off balance, cursed, as he realised they wouldn't be able to reach the gap, and noticed a small crevice in the tunnel side.  
He shoved Piper towards it, and squeezed in, after her, just barely managing it as the cascade of rocks swarmed past them.  
After a few seconds they had all passed and Aerrow sighed in relief, before realising how closely he was pressed to Piper.  
He quickly backed out, coughing lightly.  
"Err... Sorry about that..."  
"No problem... I'd rather be squashed by you than the rocks..."  
"Err... Thanks, I think...?"  
They both ran over to the opening in the rock, where Finn was looking sheepish.  
"How about I just stay behind next time?"  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"Ah, I'm sure it's not you... Hey, it'll probably be one of us next time..."  
It wasn't.

Finn soon tripped on a wire, sending volleys of arrows from the walls, which Aerrow, who was in front, only managed to avoid by leaping into the air and holding himself in a niche in the ceiling with his hands and feet braced.  
Aerrow jumped back down after the third volley, realising that no more would be coming, and dusted himself off, glad he had managed to hide the slight stumble he gave as his ankle twisted again slightly.  
He rolled his eyes at Finn's sheepish apologies and they set off again.  
Then Finn leant on a wall, sending the entire section of it caving in and unleashing some kind of gas that had him in a drunken stupor for several minutes as Junko dragged him away from the smoke.  
As soon as his head cleared, he immediately started ranting about how he was never leaving the Condor again, and, of course, fell into Stork, sending them both crashing to the floor and shoving down on another stone in the ground.  
Several rock monsters assembled from the Piles, and Aerrow had to marvel at how similar ancient security systems were between Atmos and the Far Side, as he helped blast them into rubble, before sprinting away and out of sight before they could reassemble and follow them.  
Then Finn stuck right behind Junko, not daring to take a step until Junko had done so.  
He was so intent on watching his feet, that he didn't notice an outcrop of rock and walked right into it, yelping as he hit his head.  
Some of the rock chipped, and crystals peered through, sending down a light that reacted with the ground and causing some kind of plant to start growing.  
It grew quickly, and Finn was nearly swallowed by the huge carnivorous plants that formed, making it necessary for Ace and Junko to yank him out and slash their way out, whilst Aerrow stayed with the two girls and the sky monkeys, who seemed very adept at sliding on the various tentacle like plants and causing them to tangle themselves up.  
After that, Finn just walked ahead, not even bothering to try and avoid levers and booby traps.  
Of course, it was just then that they entered a chamber, marking the end of the maze of booby trapped tunnels.  
Fin just stood there, scowling, and Aerrow sighed.  
Ah well... At least that part was over...  
Arya head over to cheer up Finn, leaving the others to decide what to do next.  
Three tunnels led from the room, and Piper narrowed it down to two after translating and solving a riddle.  
They decided to split up, and Aerrow, Radarr and Piper took one tunnel as Ace, Junko and Stork took the other, leaving Finn, Arya and Glitch to keep watch.

Aerrow was slowly and cautiously making his way up the tunnel, lighting it with his blade, and trying not to start limping again. Radarr, clearly realising he was in pain, had hopped down from his shoulder and was now scampering ahead.  
Aerrow's eyes flicked to him as he gave a yelp, and he lunged forward, just grabbing Radarr's tail as he fell through a trap door.  
He heaved the monkey back up, and deposited him back on his shoulder.  
"Stay put, buddy. I'm fine."  
Radarr chirped, but stayed where he was, leaving Aerrow to catch up to Piper, who had gone ahead a little, reading some symbols on the wall.  
"Hey, Aerrow? This says something about the scrolls... something about the knowledge only being of use to 'The One'..."  
"Any idea what it means?"  
"Not a clue. But this is a dead end. We'd better head back and follow the others."  
They set off back up the tunnel, neither noticing a faint purple glow that appeared for a few seconds before disappearing.

Junko, with Glitch on his shoulder, sighed.  
"This tunnel looks endless!"  
Stork sighed.  
"Just like your complaints..."  
Ace rolled his eyes as the two bickered, and kept his eyes ahead. Which was why it took his a second to spin and run back as they gave a cry and vanished from sight down hole in the ground that had just appeared.  
_...In the other room, Fin was randomly pulling books from a few of the shelves, not realising that some had levers behind them, and also unaware of the results of his actions. Though he stopped as Aerrow, Radarr and Piper ran through and up the other tunnel, as Aerrow told him to quite messing around..._  
Ace slid down next to the huge hole in the floor and sighed in relief as he saw Stork, spread-eagled across the drop, holding himself up with his arms and legs splayed in an 'X' against the four sides of the rock chute, and Junko sat on top of him.  
Hmm... Now how to reach them...  
Stork glared at the wall as he struggled to hold up the weight of the wallop.  
"You know, you could lay off the sand-cakes..."  
"Err... Sorry. But they're so tasty..."  
After another few minutes, the rock began to crumble slightly, and Stork sighed.  
"We're doomed..."  
Then he blinked as a blue furry tail appeared past his face.  
"Wow, nice job Stork..." Came Aerrow's voice, and Stork rolled his eyes.  
"And I'd say it would be a nice job if someone got this lump of Wallop off of me? Like now?"  
Junko's weight vanished, though Stork got a boot in the face, as they hoisted him out of the hole, and Stork began to shuffle his way up, flipping backwards as he reached the top, and sighing.  
"Piper? Could you attempt to make low fat sand cakes? I don't want a repeat of today's events. I don't think my back could take it..."  
They all grinned, then Piper spoke up.  
"So... Looks like this is definitely the right tunnel. Better call the others down here. We don't want to be separated if the Cyclonians manage to get here..."  
Aerrow nodded, and activated his link, telling Finn that he, Arya and Glitch should head down after them, before slumping against the wall and sighing.  
"This day's just been one joy after another..." he said, and the others grinned, knowing he wouldn't have it any other way.

A few minutes later, the others appeared and they continued down the tunnel.  
Fortunately, no more traps were activated, and they reached an arch at the end of the tunnel. They went through to find that it was pitch black.  
Aerrow spun his blade around, and noticed a bracket in the wall, which he recognised from some history books.  
It drew in residual energy and cloned it to light a network of lamps.  
He placed his sword by the bracket, and was rewarded with the entire room lighting up, only it wasn't a room.  
It was a balcony. Set under a huge dome that appeared to be smothered in earth and dirt, and overlooking a huge cavern filled with a maze...  
Then he looked closer and blinked. It was a maze... but it was made up of bookcases... Hundreds of them... And there, right in the centre, was a small glowing area.  
He sighed.  
"What's the betting that that is where the scrolls are?"  
Piper nodded.  
"Most likely... Now we just need to get down there..."  
A small rumbling broke the silence, and Aerrow cursed as he realised that it must be the Cyclonian drill. They were getting close...  
As he looked over the balcony, a plan started forming, and he turned to the others, grinning.  
"Okay, here's what we're going to do..."  
_

**Haha, I has a plan!**  
**Whether it will go right or not, my muse has yet to tell me.**  
**Hope you enjoyed, and please review and let me know what you think!**

**Next chapter should be up over the next couple of days :)  
**


	34. Chapter 34

**Sorry for the slight delay... I'm just gonna jump straight in, and this chapter is a bit of an 'everything' chapter. Oh, and Ace and Finn bromancey bonding... kinda...**  
**Enjoy!**  
_

Whilst the others, namely everyone aside from Aerrow and Piper, ran down the nearby rocky staircases to the point where the drills seemed to be making the most noise, Aerrow climbed up onto the wide banister and gave Piper a hand up.  
"You ready for this?"  
The plan was simple. They would glide down to the centre of the room, then make their way through the maze back out, whilst the others kept an eye on the Cyclonians until they got the scrolls.  
Piper, taking a deep breath, nodded, and Aerrow lifted her up into his arms.  
"Okay then... On three. One..."  
"Two..."  
"Three!"  
He leapt, and felt the customary rush of adrenaline as they fell, followed by the snapping out of his glider. Within a few moments, they were coming to a rest in the lit area.  
Piper jumped down as his glider folded in again, and blinked, wide eyed, gasping at the sight.  
They were surrounded by shelf upon shelf of scrolls and ancient texts, and she immediately ran over to a title that caught her interest.  
"Hey! Aerrow! This one is a book on Helix stones... From hundreds of years ago up till the modern era, from what I can tell by the date..."  
"Wow..." Aerrow, not so book-smart as Piper, but still fairly knowledgeable when it came to history and the significance of different texts, was also amazed by what was surrounding him, but shook himself clear of it.  
"Okay, Piper... Let's find those scrolls."  
She nodded, throwing the book back, and ran over to the different scrolls on the displays.

For several minutes, she scanned the contents, dismissing what she read, before she came upon something.  
"Okay... This one is an ancient text on the foundations of the binding... And it has a reference to different texts..."  
Aerrow left her to it, muttering to herself as she did so, and scanned the shelves, noticing several titles that interested him.  
From a history of crystals and their various discovered dates, to scrolls on various prophecies. He blinked as he picked one up, and looked closer at the symbol etched into the paper...  
There was no mistaking it... It was the Storm Hawks Insignia...  
He blinked, and threw it into the backpack he had unfolded, before surreptisciously adding the book that Piper had found so interesting at the beginning.  
Then he ran over as Piper called him, several scrolls in her hands and a huge mess of others on the table and the floor behind her.  
"These are all the referenced texts I could find. I'm sure there are others but-"  
A sudden explosion of stone had them looking up to the walls, where a drill had just made its way through, and Piper started stuffing the scrolls into her bag and Aerrow's.  
"-maybe those can wait till another time... I have all the key ones I think..."  
Aerrow could tell how much of a hurry she was in, as she barely winced as the priceless historical texts got jammed unceremoniously into the bags, before she grabbed his hand and they both took off into the passage.  
Then they came to a fork, and looked at each other.  
"Right..." Aerrow said, sighing, and got out his link.  
_"Right guys, deal with the Talons and get out. We'll find our way out of here and join you."_  
There was no reply for a time, until Finn's voice crackled through.  
_"Yeah... Whatever... Just hurry it up would ya?"_  
The sound of energy blasts echoed through the link, and Aerrow cursed. They needed to get out of this damned maze... Then Stork's voice came through,  
"Hold on, the others are dealing with the Talons that have managed to get through. I can see you from here, so I'll direct you through. Okay... Turn right, then take the second left."  
"Nice one Stork," Aerrow said, grinning as they followed his instructions. "Now you can tell Finn that all those maze games you played really paid off."  
Stork's smug grin was evident through the reply.  
"Oh yeah... Not only a fun way to pass the time, but also helpful in avoiding dark, despairing doom... Okay, now take the second right..."  
Following his instructions, they made their way through the maze of bookcases.

They had just rounded the corner when Stork gave a sigh and Aerrow and Piper both froze.  
"Stork...?"  
"Sorry Aerrow, but I think you may want to backtrack. Some kind of swamp like creature is blocking your way..."  
"Where?"  
"Just around the corner..."  
"Okay. No time to backtrack... Piper, watch the bags..."  
A few minutes later, and Aerrow was covered in some kind of brown sludge, but they were on their way again.  
The came several more of the rock creatures, and Aerrow sighed as they reassembled themselves, before getting an idea.  
He wrapped an arm around Piper's waist.  
"When I say jump, jump..."  
"Right... Please tell me you aren't going to-"  
A blast from his blade and several bookcases tumbled over onto the creatures.  
They both leapt out of the way on Aerrow's mark, and landed atop the bookcase to their left.  
"-blast at the priceless books..." Piper concluded with a sigh, then grinned with Aerrow as they realised that their current position made life so much easier.  
Without a second's hesitation, the two started leaping from bookcase to bookcase, making their way towards the scene of the fight.  
Within a few moments, they were clambering up the side of the rocky wall, and Aerrow, having helped Piper over the edge and ignoring the insistently growing ache in his ankle, ran to join the fight.  
He was just in time to leap into the fray as Ace and Finn got surrounded by several Talons, and they both grinned.  
"Well it's about time..." Finn said, before running to help Arya, and Ace rolled his eyes.  
"Good fighter, not so good with the witty banter."  
"Really? Talons bother with witty banter?"  
"Nope. But I still miss it..."  
"New angle to sparring practice?"  
"Definitely."  
They had both been blasting and fighting this entire time, and Aerrow sighed as he had to keep altering his fighting style to handle the one blade. It was fairly easy, but still rather annoying.  
"You know... after this... Just take your damned sword with you?"  
"Hey! It was recon! And it's not exactly inconspicuous..."  
"... Okay, fair point, but take _some_thing. Honestly..."  
They had a short lull, and Aerrow called over to Junko.  
"Junko! We got what we came for! Can you block the hole around the drill before more get here?"  
"You got it!"  
He ran over and activated his knuckle-dusters, throwing a punch at the side of the drill, which was now clear thanks to the prone Talons, groaning and in various states of pain.  
With a resounding crash, it flew backwards and caused a miniature rock-fall that covered the entrance.  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Perfect. Right, let's go!"  
They all ran back around the side of the balcony ridge, Aerrow scooping up the other bag from Piper as they went, and back through the tunnels just as an explosion indicated that the Talons had gotten through again.  
Fortunately, the only traps they had to deal with on the return trip was the stone creatures, and they were blasted and left behind so fast that they had no hope of following.  
They had just started back up the steps when Aerrow had to twist to avoid Finn, and his ankle twisted slightly, causing him to gasp and fall backwards.  
Ace managed to grab him, and pulled the bag from him making it easier to walk.  
The others, who now noticed their leaders sharp hisses of pain, slowed to a walk, but Aerrow ordered them to get back to the Condor.  
Piper, rolling her eyes, realised that the sooner she got back, the sooner she could sort something out to fix Aerrow's ankle up, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before taking off, Finn, Junko, Stork, Arya and Glitch following, Radarr choosing to stay with Aerrow.  
The sky monkey clambered up onto Ace's shoulder, and he didn't seem to mind as he helped Aerrow up the rest of the steps, trying to keep him from putting pressure on his ankle.  
"You know..." he said, as they reached the top and head towards the bikes, "You really are the most stubborn person I have ever met. How much was your ankle hurting when you were leaping and flying and running about?"  
"Err... Not as much as before...?"  
Ace simply sighed, and let Radarr hop off onto Aerrow's ride.  
"Sure Kid..."  
"Hey! That is the most... the most... _patronising_ term-"  
"Hey, hey, _fine_... _Atmos_ you're short tempered when you're hurt..."  
"Nope... Only short tempered around people who irritate me..."  
As they both took off, Ace gave a mock thoughtful expression.  
"Hmm... Your ability to put up with Finn would suggest otherwise..."  
"... Extraneous circumstances."  
"Sure Ki- Aerrow."  
Aerrow scowled at the deliberate slip up, and Radarr chirped, obviously finding it fully.  
"What're you laughing at..." Aerrow grumbled, and was met with another amused chirp.  
They made it to the Condor without any trouble, and as soon as they were in the Hangar bay, the ship took off, soon out of sight from the Terra below.

Aerrow gave another sharp hiss as he dismounted and put pressure on his foot. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, it was really starting to hurt...  
Ace, hopping from his own ride, wrapped one of Aerrow's arms around his shoulders and half aided, half held him up as they made their way to the med-bay.  
Piper had already laid out a crystal array, and Aerrow, whose ankle was now sending bursts of pain up his leg, was in no mood to argue as she pushed him down and started muttering about '_hot-headed guys and sky knights who never thought about their own damned welfare'_.  
Ace, grinning, left Aerrow to Piper's ranting, eliciting a glare as he left the room, and head to the bridge, to be met with the rest of the anxious team.  
After assuring them that Aerrow was fine, and was currently being lectured by Piper on how to care about his _own_ welfare, Junko had sighed and head down to the kitchens, shortly followed by Arya and Glitch.  
Stork, having been worried about _'the countless life threatening diseases they could have contracted whilst in the festering tunnels of bacterial doom'_ had head off to do something or other with the countless bottles of disinfectant he had stashed around the Condor, leaving Ace to raise an eyebrow at Finn, who was looking rather awkward and as though he had something to say.  
"Come on Slick, say whatever you need to..."  
Finn, having grinned slightly at the use of the ridiculous nickname, cleared his throat.  
"I-I err... Look, don't tell Aerrow I said anything, right?"  
"... Okay..."  
"Right... Okay. I just wanted to say thanks for keeping an eye on him... Over the last few years, he seems to take everything on himself because none of us have the skill to do what he has to. I mean, we can do other things, but he's always on his own when it comes to air battles and whatever the hell else. I guess I just wanted to apologise for acting like an ass over the last couple of weeks. And to tell you that Aerrow really needs someone who can watch his back when he goes on random suicide missions."  
Ace blinked as Finn finished, and gave a small laugh.  
"You know, everyone makes you out to be the Joker, the one who lives in the moment or whatever, but you aren't like that at all, are you?"  
Finn started scowling at the 'insult to his clowniness' and Ace hastened to finish.  
"But you don't have to worry about me having Aerrow's back. I have fifteen years of doing so to catch up on, and I intend to do just that. But we're gonna have to break him out of the do everything alone mindset'..."  
Finn shrugged.  
"When you have your own squadron to keep check of and look after at the age of fourteen, I would assume you tend to develop one... I mean, it was hard enough for the rest of us at first, but Aerrow... He's very protective..."  
"That's a bad thing?"  
"It is when he disregards his own safety..."  
"Hmm... Well, I can promise you that I'm not letting him go on any ridiculous missions alone. As for the 'own safety' issue, I think you'll have to talk to him yourself about that."  
"Eurgh... Talking..."  
Ace laughed, causing Finn to scowl.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Just-It's amazing how you can slip from mature and responsible to your normal self in no time at all... It's a gift that all of you seem to have."  
"What can I say?" The scowl had been replaced with a grin, "We're not normal kids... Hey, can you help me with that damned move with the sword? I can't seem to get it..."  
"... Sure."  
"Great.!"

Ace grinned as he followed the blonde out. This was the first time he had actually been asked to practice with him. It appeared he was finally starting to get on his good side...  
Then there was that conversation. It appeared Finn wasn't as immature as the others thought... There was a depth to that teenager that Ace couldn't quite grasp.  
Hell, there was a depth to all of them that astounded him.  
The thoughts were cut off as Junko caught up, and Ace told him that they were just heading to practise.  
The wallop decided to tag along and Finn was completely back into Joker mindset as they entered the training rooms and Junko settled down as the other two went to pick up their weapons.  
Ace, having grabbed a smaller blade similar to Finn's, set about showing him the move he was trying to grasp, and thinking of others he could show him once he had grasped it, glanced up as Piper entered the room and head over, Finn right behind him.  
Finn spoke up as they reached her.  
"You managed to fix him up?"  
"It was a bad twist to begin with," she sighed, "And the fact he was fighting on it means that he's damaged several tendons and god knows what and it's fractured. I have no idea how the idiot managed to stay on his feet. But I've set up a crystal array and he should be okay in a few days. But I've told him a week to make sure that he stays there."  
Finn high-fived her.  
"Nice one Piper... And quite devious for you..."  
She shrugged, grinning slyly.  
"Only if you think it's the first time I've kept one of you out f the way longer than necessary."  
Finn blinked, and looked about to complain about that last comment, but Piper was already leaving.  
"Play nice guys!"  
Finn grumbled under his breath as Piper left, and Junko seemed to be thinking back through all the times they had been kept in med-bay under Piper's orders.  
Ace rolled his eyes and roped Finn back into the practice, and before long, he had moved onto another move as the sharpshooter managed the first.

Piper head back to the med bay, and grinned as she entered to find Aerrow glaring at the ceiling.  
"Piper, I'm bored..."  
"You've been here for less than an hour!"  
"And it's as bad as the time I was stuck here for a week after Finn broke nearly every damned bone in my body..."  
Piper winced as she remembered it... or rather, how Aerrow had acted.  
Boredom did not sit well with him...  
"Oh... Well, I'm sure we can find something to entertain you with...?"  
"Good luck with that..."  
"Oh, come on Aerrow. Cheer up! Hey, I'll bring all the scrolls in we grabbed and I can sort them in here?"  
"Hmm... No Finn, no racket and I get to be with you all day? How can I refuse an offer like that? Oh, and I threw in a couple of extra things when you were looking for the scrolls. That book on the Helix stone? Oh, and some old prophesies about the Storm Hawks-"  
"Us?"  
"Yup. Insignia and everything..."  
"Huh... Sounds interesting... I'll go grab them and we can start sifting through. It'll probably take us a week anyway..."  
"Great..."  
"Sarcasm?"  
"Actually, No. I actually think I could use the rest. You could too... You went through a lot with Cyclonis..."  
"I'm fine-"  
"Good, then it's settled. The Storm Hawks are officially on leave for the next week. Hmm, actually, make it till the following Monday. Just to make sure..."  
"You're serious?"  
"Yup."  
"Huh... Okay then... I'll grab the books, then tell the others we're on official leave... First time for everything, though I'm sure Finn will order another barbeque..."  
"Ah well, Arya makes great sky-dogs..."  
Piper rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss, then head out, muttering about 'guys only thinking of their stomachs'  
Aerrow grinned, then sat back.  
Then frowned.  
Then sighed.  
Then started whistling.  
Then stopped.  
Then tapped his fingers.  
Then stopped that too.  
And sighed again.  
Then groaned.  
A week? How was he gonna cope...?

**The next chapter will probably have had a bit of a time skip, but yeah... And I'm not sure when I will next have the chance to update, so sorry if it takes a while, as I have quite a bit to do right now.**  
**Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! Or if you want to see more Bonding between Ace and the team, and Arya and the team, please let me know so I can plan and write it in!**  
**I'm also considering some chapters that are other character centric... just short chapters but for characters like Finn and the ones I haven't really had a chance to focus on :D Please review and let me know what you think of the idea!**

**Till next time, Raven Out xx**


	35. Chapter 35

**Sorry it's been so long since the last update, but I have had so much to do, and the worst writers block with all of my fanfictions… **_**Oh, and there**__** has been a time skip of a week!**_**  
Anyway, there isn't much action in this chapter, but there is a lot of mature Finn, in depth conversations and random life on the Condor. **  
_

"_They never healed properly?" Finn shouted, jabbing a finger at Aerrow, "You could have died you idiot!"  
Aerrow blinked, then sighed.  
"Piper told you?"  
…_

Ten minutes Earlier…

"Piper?" Finn said, entering the kitchen to find her, "I have a question?"  
Piper gave her customary sigh.  
"What is it now Finn?"  
"Aerrow. Me and Stork have been talking, and we figured that with the increased power of the crystals from here, he should have been able to get out of bed after a day or two… Three days tops even with Atmosian healing crystals."  
Piper froze slightly, before replying.  
"I told you, I just wanted to make sure-"  
"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" It wasn't really a question, and Piper nodded.  
"Yes. But I promised I wouldn't tell you guys…"  
"Promised who? Aerrow?"  
Piper nodded.  
"But Finn, everything is fine. Honestly. He's back to normal…"  
"What do you mean _back to normal_? It was just his ankle… right?"  
Piper hesitated and Finn blinked.  
"He got himself injured some other way?"  
"Not… Not as such…"  
It took a few seconds for the dots to connect and everything to click in Finn's head, before he cursed.  
"The injuries never healed from the beating he took a couple of weeks ago, did they…? The injuries in his side and everything…"  
Piper looked torn, then sighed and nodded.  
"They didn't fully heal, no. And the contact with the energy field and the running and fighting over the last couple of weeks haven't helped. It was bad… That's why he was on the healing crystals for a few more days. I wanted to make sure they had healed fully this time. He's an idiot when it comes to looking after himself… You know that."  
"Yeah, I do. And it's about time I talked to him about it. Maybe he'll take note if it comes from me… Especially if I'm completely serious the entire way through."  
"Finn… I think you should just leave it for now…"  
"So he can go and do it again? Not likely…"  
Piper looked at him with an expression that was part frustrated, part surprised and part… was that pride?  
"Okay… He's in his room I think."  
"Thanks…"  
"Just make it worth it?"  
"Count on it, Pi."  
Piper blinked as Finn head out. Just what the hell had gotten into Finn over the last week?  
He'd got more responsible, mature… It was actually-though she would never admit it- a pleasant surprise. And she was sure she knew who to thank for it…  
Maybe she should go and have a word with Ace…

Finn didn't even bother knocking as he barged into Aerrow's rooms, and Aerrow, who was lounging on his bed, swung up.  
"Finn? What-"  
"They never healed properly?" Finn shouted, jabbing a finger at Aerrow, "You could have died you idiot!"  
Aerrow blinked, then sighed.  
"Piper told you?"  
"No. Me and Stork pieced it out. What the hell were you thinking?"  
"I was thinking that we didn't have time for taking a break."  
"Well we had enough time for you to fully heal. Why the hell did you get up and around so soon?"  
"Because it's what I do!"  
Aerrow got to his feet, crossing his arms.  
"It's what I do Finn. It's always been what I've done. I get up, and back on my feet because I can't stand to feel useless."  
"Useless? When have you ever been useless?"  
"I-I just don't like leaving the chance that I might not be there if one of you gets into trouble."  
"And what about you? What if you get into trouble because of some blasted injury that you ignored? How do you think that would make us feel?"  
"I- I don't-"  
"Exactly. You don't know. And how do you think we'd feel if you ended up dead because of it? Then what use would you be to anyone? We've nearly lost you so many times, and… Damn it Aerrow, each time you get like it, we all worry like hell that you won't pull through. Don't you think we would rather wait a few days for you to heal than run the risk of losing you?"  
"Finn… I-" Aerrow sighed and sat down on the bed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry if I make you worry so much. But try to look at it from my point of view. For years now, I've done everything I can to keep you guys safe. I've always bounced back from whatever was wrong with me because you needed me to, and that was all that-_Is_ all that matters to me."  
"And that's what is getting on our nerves Aerrow. The fact that you disregard your own safety for our sakes. What if you had died because of it?"  
"I didn't-"  
"Not this time, but what about the next time Aerrow? Or the time after that? What if it comes to a fight and you can't defend yourself because of it?"  
"It won't-"  
"You don't know that! Look, you may think it's your job to worry about us, but I don't think you realise how much we worry about you. I think I speak for all of us when I say that-out of all of us-you are the one we worry about most."  
"I can handle my-"  
"In a fight, maybe. But you don't seem to give a damn about yourself when it comes to us. Put it this way, you think that by risking your life you're protecting us? What would happen if you died Aerrow? Where would we be then?"  
Finn realised that he had to leave before he said something he'd regret and glared at the Sky Knight, who looked torn between surprise and guilt as Finn spoke, and turned around, heading out.  
"Why don't you just think it over, Aerrow. I've already lost one brother… I don't want to lose another with no chance of getting him back."  
Finn ignored the look on Aerrow's face, and head to his own room.  
To yell and rage into a cushion.  
No matter how girlish he thought it made him seem.  
Then he just turned on the radio-Razor lark of course- and tried not to think of his infuriating red-headed brother-because what else was he really?- a few doors down.

Aerrow sighed as Finn left, and sat back, leaning against the wall.  
He'd had no idea that they all thought like that…  
And Finn… He'd been… very un-Finn-like. Heck, he'd kinda reminded him of himself in a way…  
He'd been acting slightly differently all week. More mature, more sensible… And manipulative. That was the best guilt trip the blonde had ever used…  
Now he understood why.  
And he was actually quite proud of him…  
Aerrow sighed as he heard the radio start blaring out.  
It was Finn tactic number one. It was an unspoken rule on the Condor that when Finn had the music above a certain level, nobody went into his room.  
It was well above that level…  
Aerrow thought for a while, then sighed, getting to his feet and stretching, revelling in the fact that he was now fully healed-aside from the multitude of scars he had- and head out.  
Rules were made to be broken after all…  
He realised there was no point in knocking with the music that loud, and simply opened the door, almost blasted back by the volume within the room.  
"Finn!" Aerrow cursed as he head over and clicked the off switch, resulting in an indignant 'hey!'  
"Damn it Finn, no wonder you're half deaf half the time…"  
"Only when it's convenient…"

Finn was still glaring at him and Aerrow sighed, leaning against the wall.  
"Look, listen.… I'm sorry if I make you guys worry so much. It's just that I guess I worry about you guys more than I need to. Habit after so long I guess… I mean, I know you can look after yourselves, but I still do what I've always done. And getting on with things _is_ something I've always done. I've always wanted to be strong for you guys… Ignoring injuries and just getting on with things is just a habit now…"  
"And it's one you need to break. You said it yourself, we can look after ourselves. We're not the same people we were back then Aerrow…"  
"None of us are, but some things still haven't changed Finn."  
"Goddamn it, why can't you just start looking after yourself? It does us no good to be constantly worrying if you're hiding something. And we always do. You'd be making our lives a hell of a lot easier if you just looked after yourself. I know you always feel like you still have to look after us, and I'm not gonna deny that we are all idiots at times and need it, but don't keep doing it to the exclusion of yourself."  
"You know, you've changed over the last few days. You're much more mature-"  
"See? That's what worrying does to you…"  
"I know. Why do you think _I'm_ so mature?"  
"Because you worry _too_ much. Or not enough depending on your point of view."  
"Finn…"  
"What? You know it's true. How about a deal?"  
Aerrow blinked, instantly suspicious.  
"A… Deal?"  
"Yup."  
"Terms?"  
"We get informed of any injuries. Then Piper says whether we can 'ignore them' or not."  
"'Ignore' huh? By your standards or mine?"  
"Well, by your standards, you could be dying but still fit enough to fight, so Piper's."  
"Right to appeal?"  
"… Granted."  
"And your side of the deal?"  
"We'll stop hiding things from you."  
"What?"  
"Well, we've always thought you had enough to be getting on with, so we sometimes keep things to ourselves… Heck, you worry over the slightest scratch on us, when you could be dying of blood loss and we'd never know. So we hide things… Just a little. "  
"Little?"  
"Aerrow, it's no biggie. But that's the deal."  
Aerrow glared at him, considering, then gave a taut nod.  
"Fine…" Then he sighed, collapsing onto the bed. "Nice finishing touch back there by the way. Very guilt-trippy."  
"I'm glad you approve… Even if I didn't actually mean it as a guilt trip."  
Aerrow raised an eyebrow.  
"But he alternative is… Finn? Did you come out with girlish drivel?"  
Finn glared at him.  
"No! Oh, the horror…"  
"Yeah, that's not fooling anyone."  
"It's not?"  
Aerrow grinned, punching him in the arm.  
"Nope." Then he frowned. "Do you really think about your brother that much? What's the story anyway?"  
Finn sighed.  
"Just before I joined you guys… Well, you know my parents died… And Aaron… I didn't realise at the time, but looking back, I guess he felt I was abandoning him… Even if he has a family of his own now. He's twenty three you see. Got married last year. But I think he didn't want to lose the only real family he had for so long… And he was likely worried anyway."  
"But Finn, it wasn't your fault. You shouldn't feel guilty about it leaving. He had someone, and he shouldn't have begrudged you that. I guess he was right about worrying though…"  
Aerrow sighed as Finn gave a non-committal nod.  
"Okay then, how's this? When we get back to Atmos, I'm going to have a word with this brother of yours. Then you two are going to sit down and actually speak to each other."  
Finn blinked.  
"What? I'm not sure that's a good…" Then he sighed and nodded. "Actually, that's the best idea I've heard all day. But surely we should be focusing on getting back? Oh, and Cyclonis of course."  
"Well, we haven't heard anything all week. Maybe we'll be lucky for a couple of days."  
They both looked at each other, then burst out laughing.  
Right, because they could count on their luck.  
Then Aerrow punched Finn in the arm.  
"Oi! What was that for?"  
"Not telling me you had a brother. Long delayed, but appropriate."  
Then he hit him again.  
"Ow! What was _that_ one for?"  
"Being manipulative."  
Then Aerrow moved again and pulled Finn into a headlock.  
"Oi! Lemme go!"  
"Why? You'll just turn on the damned music again…"  
Finn struggled, then sighed.  
"Fine! I won't turn it on for the rest of the day…?"  
Aerrow grinned and released his hold.  
"Deal."  
"Okay, what was_ that_ for?"  
"I guess it's a brotherey thing."  
Finn grinned evilly.  
"And so is this!"  
He leapt from the bed to the floor, grabbing a water pistol from under his desk and lasted Aerrow with it.  
Aerrow, as he ran after him, was astounded.  
He honestly had no idea where Finn kept half his stuff, and why, but it was very effective…  
Heck, they had literally searched and confiscated everything they could find!  
He was grudgingly impressed though, even if it didn't stop his amused irritation.  
"Finn! Get back here!"  
"Like that's happening!"  
"We both know I'll catch you!"  
"Not this time!"

Piper pressed herself against the wall as they ran past, a '_mission accomplished'_ from Finn and a '_morning Pipes'_ with a quick, passing peck on the cheek from Aerrow, and blinked after them, grinning.  
Mature and sensible maybe, but with regards to generally being guys? They never changed…  
A small word with Ace-who was teaching Junko a few new fighting techniques that were more subtle that '_run at them and knock them out'_- had revealed that he had, apparently and from what they could deduce, been the catalyst for Finn's change in attitude, though it appeared that it had been building for some time now.  
Now she was heading to find Arya.  
Piper grinned as she heard a Dove record playing from the girls rooms and knocked on the door.  
"Come in!"  
She opened the door and grinned as she saw Arya, tongue sticking out from the side of her mouth, examining crystals with the aid of a book. She grinned as Piper entered.  
"Hey Piper. Did I hear Aerrow chasing Finn again a couple of minutes ago?"  
"Yup. From what I could see, we didn't confiscate all of Finn's water guns…"  
"Oh… Damn. We'll have to conduct another search…"  
"It's impressive though. Considering he was acting alone and all with less than ten minutes warning that were searching… Anyway, how's the crystal work going?"  
"Great! I'm sure I can identify the majority of crystals that you've shown me, as including the ones from Atmos."  
"Uhuh, I thought as much… Which is why I wanted to step up the schedule. How would you feel about a little experimenting. And a pop quiz throughout of course…"  
Arya grinned.  
"Need you ask? Pop Quizzes, what's not to love…"  
"You sounded just like Finn then…"  
Was there a small blush at that? Piper dismissed the idea as Arya jumped to her feet.  
As they left, Piper glanced around and frowned.  
"Any sign of Glitch?"  
"Still M.I.A. Any sign of Radarr?"  
Piper shook her head.  
"He'll appear for a few minutes a day to say hello-at least, I assume it's hello- to Aerrow, then will vanish into a vent and not be seen till the following morning… It's weird…"  
"Damn right… I've had_ one_ visit from Glitch in the last _three_ days…"  
"Hmm… I'm sure we'll find out just what they're up to soon enough."  
As they head to Piper's room, they pressed themselves to the side of the walls again as Finn ran back past, still followed by Aerrow.  
The two shouted _heys_' which the girls returned, -though Piper could swear she saw something pass between Finn and Arya…- before vanishing from sight around a corner and the girls continued.  
As Piper pulled out different crystals to show different fusing's, she started firing off random questions about the ones she was using-their names, properties, strengths and weaknesses- and stifled a grin as Arya got all of them right.  
The girl was a natural…

A couple of hours later and Aerrow had caught Finn, there had been a water fight, they had cleared up the mess from said water fight before Piper found out that they had been messing in her kitchen and Junko had told them that Piper was about to conduct another search for Finn's contraband.  
At which point he had pretty much begged Aerrow to help him hide the stuff.  
Aerrow had been incredulous, considering that Finn had just blasted him with it, but was eventually persuaded by the promise that Finn would use none of the stuff they hid on Aerrow, and Aerrow could borrow whatever he liked whenever he liked.  
Without Piper realising.  
How could he say no to that?  
He was still surprised… no, completely shocked to the point of stuttering and gaping, when Finn handed him item after item from pipes, vents, cupboards and secret compartments under the floor, before taking an arm full himself and giving the order to scatter and hide it.  
Aerrow knew just the place and, after a narrow run in with the two girls, who seemed to be on the warpath, stashed the stuff in a secret compartment he knew of in the engine room beneath the floor. It was big enough even for a wallop to squeeze in comfortably, and was always stocked with something or other for when they had an impromptu game of catch the sky knight on the Condor. He would hide in their-often with Radarr- and they would just eat, listen to music and chillax until the others blared the give up signal over the speakers.  
It was fun… He had other hiding places of course, some in the same room, and blinked as he noticed a bleeping red light on one of the things Finn had given him.  
Examining it, he felt an evil grin come over his face,

It was a tracking beacon.  
Seemed someone wanted to find the small secret spaces he knew.  
Well, two could play at that game…  
He grinned, before sneaking to Piper's crystal chamber and depositing the boomerang-yes, Finn had boomerangs- in her desk before sneaking out again.  
Had he not told them time and time again that they would never find his secret hiding places? Apparently they had still not learnt their lesson…  
Aerrow whistled aimlessly as he traipsed through the Condor, before deciding to drop it and rounded a corner, only to be met with a sight that made him blink.  
Finn and Arya had their arms around one another and were kissing…  
Aerrow grinned.  
Not like he hadn't seen it coming…  
He gave a soft ahem, causing them both to split apart and jump back, coughing embarrassed.  
"Erm… Hey Aerrow."  
"So Finn, I mean, we could all see it coming, but why are you guys hiding it?"  
The two shared a look and Finn suddenly laughed.  
"Because If Piper found out, she gets the location of half of my stuff. It was a hastily and badly considered wager that we wouldn't be going out like ever."  
Arya gave a sheepish smile.  
"It lasted the whole of two days…"  
Aerrow blinked, then burst out laughing, leaning against the wall.  
Finn frowned, crossing his arms.  
What's so funny?"  
"N-nothing I just… I… Oh hahaha…" Aerrow eventually managed to stop his laughter and saunter past the two of them, clapping Finn on the shoulder.  
"Nothing Finn… Hang on," he stopped, raising an eyebrow, "How long is it till this bet expires?"  
"Three weeks…"  
"What was that Finn?"  
"Three weeks."  
"Ooh… Ouch. Where is Piper by the way?"  
"You're not going to tell her are you? I like my boomerangs…"  
"Yes, about that? Why do- No, wait. Not the time. I was actually going to say that I have the answer to all your problems… For a price."  
Finn and Arya shared a look, then stared at him, suspicious.  
"What answer, and what price?"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"The answer, I hide most of your stuff. That way, you technically only have very little of it, and Piper can take half of what little you still 'own'. Then, I give it back to you."  
"Good plan. The price?"  
"I don't know where you got he boomerangs from, but I want one. Maybe two… And some of those delightful trackers you have… And possibly a couple of other things."  
Finn blinked.  
"That's it?"  
"Yup."  
Arya pulled him aside to whisper conspiratorially, but Aerrow managed to listen into some of it.  
"It's a good deal. He gets a few things, Piper gets a few things, and you get the majority of your stuff, with me as a bonus!"  
"Yes… But there must be a catch…"  
"With Aerrow? Not likely… But there is that chance…"  
"You know what? Right now, I don't care if there is a catch. Or that I'm proving Piper right. Aerrow!" At this point, Aerrow tried to act as thought he had not heard every word said.  
"Yes?"  
"You have yourself a deal."  
"Perfect."  
They grasped hands, and Aerrow grinned as they parted, rubbing his hands together.  
"So, when do we begin?"

**The random life on the Condor thing is something I am considering continuing for another chapter, but what do you think?  
Oh, and as for Radarr and Glitch… All will be revealed… In time :D  
Yes, there is a catch to the deal, but that will also be revealed… probably next chapter!  
They will carry out their plan, but if it will work or not, You'll just have to see :D  
Anyway, please review and let me know what you think of the different sides of the characters I've added in, and the different aspects of their lives and such! (It's not my best chapter ever, but reviews are appreciated all the same…)**

**Till next time, Raven xx**


End file.
